Emotional Bonds
by WhitcKnight
Summary: When Regina Mills is attacked and Emma Swan comes to her rescue, the two women form a bond they never expected. SwanQueen.
1. Chapter 1

**So, this is my first fanfic and I really hope everyone likes it! There will be some trigger warnings in later chapters, but I promise I'll let you all know about them in advance. There probably won't be any explicit sexual content (it will just be implied – I'm not comfortable writing it) so don't worry about it if it's not something you'd like to read. I've got a rough idea of the storyline but no clue how long it will be. Updates will be pretty regular and I definitely won't keep you waiting for weeks (if I do, I'll let you know in advance about it) so don't worry! I'm typing this on an iPhone, so I apologize for any spelling/grammatical errors. Anyway, if you actually read all of that, thanks! Enjoy chapter 1!**

Emma Swan sighed quietly as she leaned back in her patrol car. It was late, and in the small town of Storybrooke, she wasn't expecting any trouble unless it was magic related. The most she ever had to deal with – that wasn't related to magic, of course – was catching stray dogs and rescuing cats from trees.

Emma was snapped out of her thoughts, however, when her phone rang. Silently praying that it wasn't an emergency, she answered it.

"Sheriff Swan," She said to whoever was on the other line.

"Emma?"

"Regina? Are you alright?" She asked as soon as she recognized the voice. She knew that Henry was with her parents, so she knew that if Regina was calling, something was wrong with her.

"I need you to come over." Regina said. Her voice sounded strained, like she was in pain.

Emma immediately put the police cruiser in drive and pulled into the road. "On my way." She said. She drove as fast as it was safely possible to Regina's mansion. In less than five minutes, she was there.

She turned the car off quickly and ran up the driveway and straight into the house, slamming the door behind her. It was wide open, which Emma knew was a bad sign. Regina was very meticulous in the way she locked the windows and doors, and she was aware of that.

"Regina?" She yelled as soon as she was in the house. She heard a noise coming from her study and ran into it.

Emma had to hold back a gasp. Regina was sitting on the floor of the study, and it was clear she was injured. Her shirt was mostly torn, and Emma could see the black lacy bra beneath it. Her upper body was covered in cut marks and slashes. She kneeled in front of the other woman, who seemed to be only barely conscious.

"What happened?" Emma asked. Her voice was quiet and soft as she spoke. A million thoughts went through her head about who could have done this, and she was pissed.

Regina just shook her head. "I need you to… heal me… first." Regina said. She was having trouble getting the words out, which was the only reason Emma dropped it for the time being.

She nodded her head quickly. She helped Regina get the remains of the tattered shirt off – thanking God that it was a button up – and started to heal the brunette. At first, nothing happened, but then she started thinking about how angry she was that someone had hurt Regina, and before she knew it, white magic was flowing from her fingertips and onto Regina's back and arms. The cuts slowly started to come together, but there was nothing Emma could do about the blood covering the woman.

"All healed up." Emma said quietly. She brushed a few strands of hair out of Regina's face. "Regina, I need you to tell me who did this to you."

Regina looked up at Emma, her eyes tired. "Whale." She managed to get out before sobs took over her body. She covered her face with her hands.

The anger Emma had towards her attacker only grew at this. Emma moved so she could comfortably pull Regina to her body, wrapping her arms around her. When Regina didn't protest, Emma knew she was scared. "You're okay," She whispered. "I'm not gonna let him hurt you anymore, I promise. He's going to pay for this."

Regina just nodded – she couldn't get any words out in between the sobs – and moved closer to Emma. After a few very long minutes of Emma holding Regina and whispering comforting things in her ear, her sobs subsided and she calmed down.

"Regina? Do you want me to take you upstairs so you can get some sleep? You lost a lot of blood, and I want to make sure you're okay, okay?" Emma said. When Regina nodded, she scooped the woman into her arms and started to carry her up the stairs. She ignored the half-hearted protests of "I can walk." And carried her anyway. Once up the stairs, she laid the brunette down in her bed and covered her up with a blanket.

"Get some sleep, Regina. I'll be downstairs, okay? I need to make a few phone calls, but I'm not going anywhere. Just yell if you need me." She said. Her voice was softer than it had ever been – especially with Regina – as she spoke.

Regina nodded and tried to get comfortable in the bed. "Thank you." She whispered after Emma, who nodded.

"You would have done the same." She mumbled as she left. She went downstairs and tried to calm down before she called her father.

After about five minutes had passed, she felt calm enough to call David, who was a deputy as well as her father.

"Hey, David. I need you to go make an arrest for me." Emma said as soon as she heard him pick up the phone.

"Who?" He asked.

Emma took a deep breath. She knew he wouldn't like this – he had become someone of a friend to Whale – but he was the only one she truly trusted to do it.

"Doctor Whale." She said.

"Oh." He said.

"Yeah, I know. I'm sorry, but I really need you to do this. He hurt Regina. He hurt her bad, Dad. Just take him and put him in a cell. I'll deal with him tomorrow." Emma said, sighing softly. "Today, actually. Sorry for waking you up so late. And please don't mention this to Henry, I need to be the one to tell him." She said.

"Of course. Is Regina alright?" David asked.

"She'll be okay. She lost a lot of blood, but I healed her up. She's resting now, but you know her. Physically, she'll be fine by dinner time."

"Okay. I'll text you once I've got him at the station. You sure you don't want me to handle this, Emma?"

"I'm sure, Dad. Thanks, though." She said.

"Alright. I love you." He said.

"Bye." She said. She hadn't been able to say those three words to either of her parents since the curse broke 2 months ago.

Emma sighed and went into Regina's study to clean up the blood on the hardwood floor. Using magic, she was able to clean it up very quickly, but now she felt drained. Sighing quietly, she went upstairs to Regina's room to check on her. When she saw that the woman was asleep, she sat down in a chair. A few minutes later, they were both sleeping hard – Regina because her body need to replenish the blood she had lost, and Emma because she needed to replenish the magic she had lost.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey! I wanted to throw out another update today since it seemed like people were actually reading it, so here you go! I made a few corrections in the first chapter (I didn't notice them at first) so if you caught them, I'm sorry! There is quite a bit of violence in this chapter, so be aware of that before you read! (It's mainly what's in the italics at the very beginning, so you can skip over it if need be.) I hope you guys enjoy this new chapter, and as always, please leave reviews! Read on!**

 _Regina heard a knock at the door. She wasn't expecting anyone and it was quite late, but for some reason, she answered it anyway._

 _"Doctor Whale, what can I do for you?" She asked, her body going stiff when she noticed who it was._

 _"You could start by dying, Evil Queen." He said. Somehow, he managed to push his way into the door._

 _"What the hell? Get out of my house," She yelled and tried to push him out. It was no use._

 _He pulled out a long knife and gave Regina an evil grin that made her skin crawl. Regina backed away, cornering herself into her study before she could stop him. He started cutting her with the knife. Slash after slash over olive toned skin that drew blood. Soon, the floor and couch of her study were covered in crimson blood. She was helpless to do anything about it while he towered over her and delivered more cuts to her body._

 _It felt like hours, but in reality, it was only a few minutes. Finally, he decided he'd had enough._

 _"That oughta teach you a lesson, Evil Queen." He said his words slowly and carefully, his eyes never leaving hers. Then, he spit on her and left the house without another word. He left her to bleed out and die and didn't even bother to shut the door behind himself._

Regina woke up and looked around at her surroundings. She was breathing heavily and her body glistened with sweat, but once she realized where she was, her mind stopped racing and her heartbeat slowed.

She glanced at Emma, who was sitting in the chair across from the bed asleep. Regina carefully got up, trying to be as quiet as she could so that she didn't wake up the blonde.

As soon as Regina moved, Emma woke up. "Hey," Emma mumbled sleepily.

"Good morning. I'm sorry, I was just going to make some coffee." Regina said quietly.

"No, no, I've got it." Emma said, jumping up quickly. "You should probably get out of those clothes. I'll make you something to eat." She said.

Regina nodded, knowing it was pointless to argue with the blonde. "Alright," She said. "Thank you."

"No problem." Emma said, waving a hand to dismiss the thanks. She ran out of the room to go down to the kitchen, checking her phone as she jogged down the steps.

She saw that it was only 6:30 a.m. and that David had sent her a text. She unlocked the phone so she could see what he had said.

I got Whale, but he's denying the whole thing. Said it wasn't him. He's in the cell now. Ruby said she'll keep an eye on him. I hope you've got some proof of this. Be careful around Regina, Em. Love you.

Emma sighed and rolled her eyes at the fact that David had told her to be careful around Regina. She didn't bother to respond to the text, instead choosing to go and make the coffee. She knew Regina wasn't much of a breakfast eater, so she just went with toast and put it on a plate.

A few minutes later, Regina came down the stairs dressed in clean clothes and a freshly cleaned body. Emma smiled at the jeans and black button up shirt Regina was wearing. It was more casual than anything else she'd ever seen her in.

"You look nice," Emma said quietly.

Regina forced a small smile. "Thank you."

"You okay?" Emma asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I'm fine,"

"Liar." Emma muttered, but dropped the subject. "Hey, do you have security cameras in here?" She asked.

Regina shook her head. "No," She informed her.

"Fuck," Emma said.

Regina took a deep breath and looked at Emma. "I don't want to press charges, Miss Swan." She said in a quiet but steady voice.

"What the hell do you mean?" Emma asked.

"It would require a trial, and we don't have any evidence. Nobody in this town would side with me anyway. It would be a waste of time, and I'd just end up disappointed."

"What about Henry? He could have lost you. He could have been home!"

"But he didn't, and he wasn't. Whale made his point. He won't do it again. I'll talk to Henry about me using my magic again-"

Emma cut her off. "Wait, that's why you didn't use your magic? Because of a promise to Henry?"

"Yes," Regina said quietly. "I promised him I wouldn't."

The anger Emma had felt only moments earlier had disappeared. "Regina, Henry wouldn't want this for you. I don't think he would have cared if you used magic to protect yourself." She said in a soft voice.

"I couldn't take that chance."

"Please, Regina. Henry can't lose you. He needs you." Emma said. I need you, She thought to herself.

"Henry would survive without me."

"That's bullshit. He needs his mothers. Both of them. You don't get to get yourself killed, I won't let you." Emma said.

Regina was silent.

Emma continued to talk. "If you won't press charges, is there some kind of spell or something we can do? So if you get hurt, I know? He could kill you. Please." Emma said.

Her face looked so sad that Regina couldn't help but give in. "There's something, but it doesn't work exactly like that."

"Explain."

Regina sighed and took another sip of coffee. "It's more about your emotions, but it works both ways. So if one of us were to feel very frightened, the other would start to feel it too, and then you'd know that something was going on. But I don't even know how to do the spell, and we'd have to ask Gold. I'm not even sure if there are other complications, and Emma, you don't want your emotions tied with mine." She said, shaking her head.

"We're doing it," Emma said without hesitation. "That's the only option if you won't press charges. I can't do my job if I'm constantly worried about you, and you can't just sit in your house every day. Whale could come back and try and hurt you, or someone else could.. I won't sit around and wait for you to get killed. I don't give a damn what you did in the Enchanted Forest, Regina. This is inhumane. It's cruel, and as the sheriff, I won't stand for it. As Emma, I'll kill the bastard if I have to. Please just let me do this."

"Are you sure about this, Emma?" Regina asked. "This is.. It's a big thing."

"Positive. Henry would never forgive me if I let anything happen to you. That kid loves you more than anything. I'd never forgive myself if I let anything happen to you."

"Okay. We'll go to Gold's, then. I really hope you know what you're getting yourself into, Miss Swan."

If Regina was honest with herself, she would have been able to admit that she was terrified about doing this. It was a very personal thing, and it removed a lot of privacy from yourself because someone else knew your every feeling, but she knew Emma was right. As much as Regina felt she deserved everything that she was getting and then some, she wouldn't do that to Henry. She wasn't sure if she believed that her son loved her, but she was sure that he would be upset by her death, and she vowed not to cause her son any more emotional pain than she already had.

"Alright. I need to call Ruby, and then I'll be ready."

"You might want to magic yourself some new clothes. They're covered in my blood." Regina informed her with a tight smile that ended up turning into a frown.

"Right. I'll be back in a minute." Emma said. She was already dialing the number to the station.

When she heard someone pick up on the other line, she started talking. "Hey, Rubes. I need you to release Whale." She said in a bitter voice. She absolutely abhorred the idea of letting Whale go, but she knew she didn't have a choice.

"I thought he attacked Regina?" Ruby asked.

"He did, but she refuses to press charges. I've got it under control. Just tell him that if he comes anywhere near her, I will kill him, okay?"

"Alright, Em. Be careful." Ruby said.

"Always am, Rubes. I'll see you later." Emma said and hung up the phone.

She sighed and waved a hand to change her clothes magically. It took a bit of concentration, but it worked. She grinned, proud with herself, and then re-entered the kitchen. "Are you ready?" She asked Regina.

The dark-haired woman nodded. "Let's go see Rumpelstiltskin." She said quietly.


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey! This chapter is a bit longer than the first two, but I had a lot that needed to happen in this chapter. I know that when reading, I prefer longer chapters, but you guys may want faster updates rather than longer chapters! Let me know!**

 **Also, to the guest reviewer that said Emma needs to threaten Whale in person – we're getting there! I think we all know our White Knight won't let him off the hook that easily!**

 **I've seen other authors post songs they listened to while writing that inspired them, and while I don't have any specific songs, I listen to Imagine Dragons a lot while writing SQ, so if you like to listen to something while you read, I'd recommend it!**

 **Enjoy this new chapter, and please review! They're very much appreciated!**

Emma and Regina entered Rumpelstiltskin's shop together. Emma was determined to do this, and she'd pay whatever price she had to. Emma gave Belle a small smile – she'd become friends with the quiet librarian – but didn't say anything to her. She wanted to stay focused on the task so that Regina couldn't trick her into giving up and going home.

"Hello, dearies. What can I do for you?" Rumple said. He came out of the back room that held the more dangerous artifacts of his shop.

Emma took a deep breath. "Regina said there's a spell that can bond our emotions together. I need you to do it." She said.

"Always one to get straight to the point, Sheriff Swan." Gold said with a quiet chuckle. To Emma's ears, it sounded more like a cackle, but she didn't comment on it and pretended the involuntary shiver sent up her spine was merely because she was cold. "Why would you need me to do such a spell?"

"None of your business." Emma said.

"I was attacked, and Miss Swan here finds this necessary because I refuse to press charges." Regina said. She knew that they would receive no help unless they told him what he wanted to know.

"Ah, because no one would defend the Evil Queen?"

"Former Evil Queen." Emma said with a glare.

"Of course, dearie. I suppose I could help you. At a price, of course."

"Yeah, yeah. All magic comes with a price, we know. One condition – the price is mine to pay, not hers." Emma said.

Rumple nodded. "I want your blood." He said. Seeing the horrified look on Emma's face, he shook his head and laughed. "That came out a bit wrong. I merely meant a vial of it, taken completely humanely. Product of True Love, dearie."

Emma nodded, the color returning to her face. "You've got yourself a deal, Gold."

"Emma, you don't have to do this." Regina whispered. "There's no telling what the imp is going to do with that."

"I don't care. You don't get to die. Be quiet." She muttered.

Rumple rolled his eyes. "Both of you give me your hands. It will only take a moment." He said. When the two women complied, he instructed them to hold hands. He whispered an incantation and a bit of magic flowed from his fingertips. In a few seconds, he released them. "The spell will take effect in a few minutes. Belle, please take some of our lovely Sheriff's blood and put it in a vial, if you wouldn't mind."

Belle nodded and followed his instructions, retrieving the vial and needle from the back. Emma barely noticed the needle going into her skin, and when it was over, she smiled at her friend.

"Please keep this quiet, Belle." Emma said. She knew the woman would – she was quite trustworthy – but she still felt that she had to warn her.

"You're secret is safe with me, Emma. Have a nice day." She replied quickly.

Emma nodded and the two newly bound women left the shop together. "Wanna go get something to eat? I'm hungry."

"Aren't you always, dear?" Regina asked.

"Probably." Emma said with a shrug. "Granny's?"

"I suppose so." Regina said with a slight nod.

Emma nodded, and once they were both in the car, she started to drive. She felt nervous, and she wasn't at all sure why until she looked at Regina. "Is that you?" She asked.

"I don't know what you mean." Regina said, tilting her head to the side. She was genuinely confused.

"Are you nervous? Because I feel nervous and I'm pretty sure it's not me. Is it you?"

Regina was silent, and that was all the answer Emma needed.

"Okay. You can wait in the car, if you want? I'll just grab some takeout and then I can take you home." Emma said. She wouldn't push Regina if she wasn't ready yet.

"No, I'll be fine. I'll have to get out and about sometime, I suppose." Regina said with a slight shake of her head.

"Alright," Emma said, returning her eyes back to the road as she made the short drive to Granny's. When she parked her car on the side of the street and got a glance inside the diner, she turned to Regina. "Change of plans. Wait in the car."

"Miss Swan, I am fine. I can handle going into a diner." Regina protested with a roll of her eyes.

"Can you handle seeing Whale right now," Emma asked in a quiet voice. "Because he's inside. And I'd really like to have a word with him."

"I'll wait in the car," Regina said quietly.

"I'll be back out in a minute." She replied. "Don't worry, okay? Just.. Take a deep breath." She put a hand on the brunette's arm briefly before getting out of the car. "Lock the door behind me." She said, and then slammed the car door shut.

Now that she was away from Regina, Emma allowed herself to get angry. Not just a little angry, but full on Evil Savior angry. Not that that's a thing, but Emma was going to pretend. She practically charged into Granny's and made her way over to Whale. The only other people in the diner besides Whale, Granny, Ruby, and now Emma were the dwarves, and she suspected they already knew.

"Sheriff Swan, you do know you can't have people arrested for crimes they never committed, don't you?" He asked in a cruelly teasing voice.

"I'm not the Sheriff right now, but I am one VERY pissed off mother. My son could have been home. My son could have come home to see his mother like that. If you EVER lay a finger on her again, I WILL kill you, Whale. Without a bit of fucking hesitation. The only reason you're still walking is because I really enjoy my fucking freedom, and I'm not an idiot." Emma said each word slowly and carefully. She was trying to stay calm, but her hands were shaking and they were balled up into fists.

"Your kid would be better off without that bitch around him. She's the Evil Queen. You know, for a Savior, you're not the brightest." He said.

For a second, she didn't reply. Then she brought her arm back and swung it forward, her fist connecting with his nose. There was an audible crunch – it was clearly broken – and then he fell to the ground unconscious. Emma flexed her fingers, which were now hurting. Her knuckles were a little bloody, some of it hers and some of it his, but she didn't care.

"I need my usual and Regina's too, Rubes. Also, someone might want to wake him up after I leave to make sure he doesn't die or something. That would be unfortunate." She muttered the last sentence, but Ruby heard it and laughed.

"Nice punch, Em. You want some ice for that?" She asked, grinning at her friend. Emma was grateful that Ruby didn't seem to care, seeing as she hated Whale just as much as Emma did. Nobody was particularly fond of the man.

"Yeah, that'd be great, actually." Emma said, and then turned to Leroy and the other dwarves. "Do me a favor and give me at least an hour before you tell Snow that just happened, okay?"

"I ain't lying to her, sister." Leroy said.

Emma took a deep breath. "I'm not asking you to lie. I'm asking you to withhold the truth for an hour. Please? I'm really hoping that being the Savior wins out over being the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming right now."

"Alright, Sheriff. But if she asks, I'm tellin'." Leroy said seriously.

"Fair enough." Emma said with a nod.

Ruby returned from the kitchen a few minutes later with an ice pack and 2 bags filled with Regina's chicken salad – dressing on the side – and bottled water and Emma's cheeseburger and extra fries with a strawberry milkshake.

"Thanks, Rubes. I'll be in at the station tomorrow, but I've got some stuff to take care of today." She said. She gave her friend a quick smile before shoving the ice pack in a bag, picking them both and the milkshake up, and going out to her car. Once inside the yellow bug, she put the food on the backseat and the milkshake in the cupholder, then grabbed the ice pack and put it on her throbbing hand.

She let out an involuntarily hiss when the cold ice hit her skin, but said nothing else.

"What did you do, Miss Swan?" Regina asked, raising a perfectly arched eyebrow.

"I kinda punched Whale in the face." She muttered. She had started the car but hadn't pulled off of into the road yet.

Regina held back a grin. "That wasn't very Sheriff-like." She replied.

"I made it pretty clear I was off duty at that moment."

"How'd he take that?" Regina asked.

"I don't know. He's kinda unconscious at the moment."

"I suppose I really have underestimated you, huh?"

"Damn right," she said, "I've thrown my fair share of punches, Regina. Against guys much bigger than Whale, I may add."

"Part of a bounty hunter's job?"

"Part of growing up in the foster system, but yeah, that too." She replied with a careless shrug of her shoulders. At that, she pulled off into the road and began driving back to the mansion. It was clear that Emma had ended the conversation, and they made the three minute drive in silence. This was one of the few times Emma was grateful that almost everything was within a twenty minute drive in Storybrooke. When they pulled up to the mansion, Emma reached in the backseat and handed Regina the bag with her food in it. "I'll bring Henry by later, and we'll make dinner. No arguing, kay?" Emma said.

"I'm not an invalid, I'll have you know." Regina replied with a roll of her eyes, but she made no move to argue.

"I know. When was the last time someone cooked for you instead of the other way around?" She asked, raising an eyebrow.

Regina was silent.

"Exactly. Just let me do something nice, kay? Henry will want to help." Emma said. Her voice was calm, but Regina could see the pleading behind those green eyes.

"Alright," Regina said. For some reason, whenever it came to Emma or Henry, she was unable to say no. She blamed it on the fact that the blonde had the same pleading face as Henry, but she knew it was more than that.

"Thank you. I'll see you later.. Please try not to get into any trouble, will you?" Emma said. Her tone was serious, but she lightened it with a soft chuckle.

"Of course," She replied.

Emma nodded and Regina got out of the car. She watched the brunette walk up to her door and waited until she was inside to start the car again and begin driving home. She tried to convince herself she hadn't been staring at Regina's backside the entire time and that she had only been waiting to ensure the other woman's safety, but she knew it wasn't true.

She glanced at the dash and saw that it was only noon. On a normal Saturday, she would have managed to get in a run already, but she hadn't had the time, and now she needed to go home and face her parents. With a sigh, she drove to the apartment she shared with them as slowly as she could go within the speed limit. Unfortunately for her, it was also a three minute drive from the mansion – five if you drove slowly like she was. While she drove, she tried to think of anything other than her parents or Whale so she wouldn't get angry and have Regina get upset with her for having too strong of an emotion. She just laughed to herself as she drove.

"This is fucking insane." She muttered to no one.

Although she didn't regret her decision in any way, it was still weird to have her emotions tied up with someone else, especially Regina. The two women were probably two of the most private people she knew, and now they were forced to know each others emotions whether they wanted to or not. Emma was glad Regina had chosen not to comment on the sadness she knew Emma felt when she made a foster home comment earlier because truthfully, she wasn't sure what she would have said.

After a minute of sitting in the parked bug, she finally got up and went into the apartment, carrying the bag of food into the house with her even though she was no longer hungry. She didn't bother to use her key – the door was almost always unlocked during the day – as she entered the apartment.

"Emma! There you are! Leroy said you got into a fight today, what happened?" Snow asked as soon as Emma was in the door. When she saw her hand, she let out a dramatic gasp. "Oh, honey! Are you alright?"

"Damn dwarves." She muttered. "I'm fine, Snow. It was Whale, and frankly, the asshole deserved it. Sorry, kid." Emma muttered to Henry, who was sitting on the couch reading a comic book.

He just waved a hand to say he didn't care, and Emma smiled.

"You hit Doctor Whale? Why on earth would you do that?"

"Didn't David tell you what he did?"

"Yes, but I can't see why you would care!" Snow said.

Emma immediately got angry, and there was nothing she could do about it. Then, she realized Henry didn't know yet, so she turned to him. "Hey, kid. Something happened with your mom last night. She's okay now, but Doctor Whale attacked her. We're gonna go over there later and you can stay there for the rest of the week, if you want. I know you hate being cramped up here, and I want you to look out for your mom, okay? Also, I punched Whale. You good with all that?" She said to him.

"Yeah. Mom's okay though?" He asked. Emma nodded. "You punched Whale?" Another nod. Henry grinned. "Cool. Thanks for looking out for my mom, Ma." He said.

Emma gave him one last smile and then turned to Snow. "I care because he cares. I care because it's my job to care, and I care because she's Regina and doesn't deserve this."

"She cursed an entire realm!" Snow whispered.

"Henry, go upstairs." She said. Without argument, he complied. Emma knew he'd still be listening, but at least he wouldn't be in the same room. "I don't give a damn what she did twenty-eight years ago OR what she did in the Enchanted Forest. Nobody, especially not Regina, deserves what he did to her. She's not the Evil Queen anymore. Henry sees that and I see that, and you will NOT talk about her that way in front of our son if you'd like to continue seeing either of us, do you understand?" Emma said her words carefully, trying to keep her voice steady. She was literally shaking with anger, and she made a mental note to apologize for it later to Regina, because she knew she'd be feeling it too.

Before Snow could reply, Emma's phone rang. It was Regina. Taking a deep breath, she answered it.

"Is everything okay?" Regina asked.

"Everything's fine, Regina." Emma replied, not making eye contact with her mother.

"Then why are you so angry? I feel like you're about to throw a fireball at someone."

"I'm angry because I'm arguing with my mother, and you're right, I may. Everything's fine, I promise. Henry and I may be over a little earlier than expected, but I'll text you if we are." She said. When Regina acknowledged her words, she hung up the phone.

"How does Regina know how you feel?" Snow immediately asked. She had only heard bits and pieces of what Regina said, but she had a general idea.

"After Whale attacked her, she refuses to press charges, and I needed to know she was okay. Gold bonded our emotions or whatever, so if someone tries to hurt her again, I'll know because she'll feel scared and I'll feel it too. It works both ways."

"Why would you do that? Oh, Emma, honey, we need to go talk to Gold and get this fixed right away! You shouldn't have your emotions tied to Regina, there's no telling what she'll do to you! Did she make you do this?" Snow said, shaking her head.

"God, you really are dense." Emma muttered. She counted to three in her head and took a deep breath to calm herself. She couldn't remember the last time she was this angry. Well, she could, but she was choosing not to think about the apple turnover situation.

"She didn't force me to do anything. It was my idea. Regina would never hurt me, or anyone else at this point. Whale's still standing, even after what he did to her. She didn't use magic against him. She almost died, but she didn't use even a bit of magic to stop him. Stop assuming the worst of her. She had twenty-eight years to kill everyone in this town, but she didn't. Get the hell off of your high-horse and leave Regina alone.

Don't you ever talk about Regina in front of Henry again. She is a good mother to him." Emma said. She was trying to stay calm, but that wasn't easy when Snow just didn't know when to stop.

"You're Henry's mother." Snow replied, as if she hadn't been listening at all.

Emma didn't say anything for a moment. She counted to ten, and then to twenty, then thirty. When she decided she was calm enough, she yelled to Henry. "Kid, let's go. Now!"

Only seconds later, Henry was down the steps and out of the house without a word to his grandmother. Emma didn't spare her another glance, choosing to just follow her son out to the car. She slammed the door behind her and unlocked the car door. Neither of them said anything as they got into the car, and they made the drive in silence. Once they were on Mifflin street, Emma turned to Henry.

"I'm sorry you had to hear all of that, Henry, but I need to talk to you for a second before we go inside."

"It's okay," He said, shaking his head. "You defended her. It's okay. What do we need to talk about?"

"Your mom. I need you to tell her she can use magic again, Henry. I know your mom, and she's okay. She won't hurt anyone. She needs her magic, kid."

Henry nodded. "Is that why she didn't use magic to stop Doctor Whale?" He asked, looking guilty.

Emma didn't lie to him. She knew he'd know. "Yeah, kid, that's part of it. But it's not your fault, okay?"

He nodded. "Okay."

"Good. Now go inside and give your mom a hug, okay?" She said, and both of them got out of the car.

As soon as Emma got around to the other side of the car, Henry hugged her tight.

"I meant your other mom, kid." She said with a quiet laugh, but she hugged him back just as tight. She'd never been much of a hugger, but that was different when it came to her son.

"I know," He mumbled into her stomach. "But thanks for taking care of my mom. Nobody else does."

"I can promise you one thing, Henry. No matter what, I'm always gonna look out for you and your mom." She said, and then released him. "Now go give your other mom a hug too." She said, giving the kid a sad smile.

He nodded and ran up to the door. Emma realized she'd forgotten to text the other woman, but she had a feeling she wouldn't mind. Now that Henry was away from her, Emma started to feel the anger coming back again.

Regina answered the door, and before she could even say anything, Henry wrapped her up in a bearhug. "I love you, Mom." He whispered to her.

Regina's eyes began to water, but the tears didn't fall. "I.. I love you too, Henry."

Emma smiled at the scene in front of her. The anger was still there, but it was put on the back burner for the moment.

After a few more seconds, Henry let go and whispered in Regina's ear, too low for Emma to hear. "She defended you to Grandma, that's why she was mad. She's going to tell you nothing happened, but don't listen to her!" He said, and then ran past her to go upstairs to his room and read more comic books.

Henry was right, of course. Emma had no intentions of telling Regina what had happened between her and Snow. She didn't want to have to tell the brunette about anyone else who disliked her, and she really didn't want to have to tell her about the cruel things Snow had said. Henry was ensuring that she didn't have a choice, even though she didn't know it yet.

"Hey, Regina." Emma said once she was on the porch.

"Emma," She greeted.

"Are you okay?" Emma asked.

Regina nodded. "I could ask you the same question." She pointed out.

Emma just shrugged. "I'm fine, don't worry about it. Snow was just being a bitch and we got into it." She said.

Regina smiled and let the topic go for the time being. "Alright. Come on inside, then."

She nodded and came inside. She ran her fingers through her hair and tried to calm herself down so Regina didn't ask any questions. Clearly the whole emotional bonding thing was going to be harder than she thought. Still, Emma didn't regret her decision. It was a necessary one, and despite the awkwardness of it now, she knew she'd eventually get used to it, and if it eventually came in handy, she'd learn to love it. Taking a deep breath, she followed Regina into the kitchen.

 **Okay, I really hoped you all enjoyed that chapter! So, guest reviewer, did that satisfy you? ;) Please continue leaving reviews, guys! I love them! If you have any suggestions or comments on anything, let me know. Thanks for reading! New update tomorrow most likely.**


	4. Chapter 4

**First off, a big thank you to those of you who followed/favorited this story and those of you who reviewed it! It means a lot to me and makes me want to write more! (So, ya know, if you want fast updates, leaving a review or two couldn't hurt, haha.)**

 **Second, nobody really said what length of chapters they prefer, so I'll probably stick to between 2-4k word chapters. Some may be longer and some may be shorter, but that'll depend on the content I need to get through!**

 **Anyway, hope y'all enjoy it! (It's starting off right where the last chapter left, so here you goo!)**

"So, are you going to tell me what your mother said about me or am I going to have to ask our son?" Regina asked once they were in the kitchen. She sat down at the kitchen table and rolled her eyes at the blonde.

"Little shit." She muttered, referring to their son. She took in a deep breath and exhaled. "Not much," She lied.

"Dear, I truly couldn't care less what your idiot mother thinks of me," Regina said, "there's no need to lie."

"That's bullshit and you know it." Emma said, shaking her head. "You may not care what she thinks of you, but I know you. You'll be convinced everything she said was true, and I'm not doing that."

"Emma, please. I can assure you, not knowing is worse."

"On one condition," she replied.

"Alright, what is it?"

"You have to answer one question. It's about last night. Just one, and I'll tell you. You answer my question honestly – and I'll know if you lie – and I'll tell you."

"And if I don't answer it?" Regina asked.

"I don't tell you and I won't ask you again." Emma said simply.

The dark-haired woman sighed. "Alright," she said.

Emma smiled a little. She hadn't expected the other woman to give in so easily. "Are you scared that Whale will come back? Even just a little bit?" She asked. She may be able to feel Regina's emotions, but that was only if she was actively feeling them.

For a second, she didn't reply. She knew she couldn't lie – both her emotions and hesitations would give her away if she tried – but she wasn't sure if she could admit it. Then, after taking a deep breath to calm herself, she nodded. "Yes,"

"Don't be," Emma said. "I'll kick his ass if he comes within ten feet of you." She said, shaking her head.

Henry chose this moment to announce his presence. "Yeah, I mean, you already punched him once." He said, nodding his head vigorously.

Regina jumped and Emma sighed. "Kid, you can't eavesdrop."

"You're loud." Henry said with a grin. "Mom, you don't have to be scared of Whale. I think you should start using your magic again. I trust you, and I should have from the start. I'm sorry." Henry said, walking over to his brunette mother.

"You don't need to apologize, Henry. I gave you every reason not to trust me... Are you sure you're okay with me using magic?" Regina said. Tears filled her eyes at her son's words. This was the first time he had apologized for the way he treated her before the curse broke and for the first week or so afterwards. She had apologized countless times for her crimes, and he had forgiven her, but he hadn't done the same to her.

"Just lemme apologize, Mom. And yeah, I'm sure. I trust you and so does Ma. Who else do you need?" He asked, plastering a very Emma-like grin on his face.

Emma softly chuckled. "The kid has a point. We're like, the best you can get."

Regina smiled and stood up, hugging her son tightly. Henry grinned and hugged her back just as tight, if not tighter. Emma could tell he was trying to make up for lost time. It seemed they all were. Emma and Regina with Henry, and Henry with them.

When the two separated, he went and hugged Emma as well.

"Alright, kid. Go upstairs and do your homework or something, we weren't done talking." Emma said. She ruffled his hair and smiled.

"I don't have any, and I've already heard what you're gonna tell her, Ma!" Henry pleaded.

Emma gave him the look. "Henry, now." She said.

With a slight pout, he went upstairs. She heard the door shut and rolled her eyes. "In the room, Hen." She yelled up the stairs. She knew he had opened and shut the door without going inside. When they heard the door shut again, Regina looked to Emma expectantly.

Emma sighed. "She really didn't say much, Regina. It was mostly that she's too closed-minded to believe you've changed. She wanted to know why I cared about you and why I would punch Whale because of what he did. Henry was there, and I got pissed, because she had no right to say anything, and especially not in front of Henry. We got into it, and then you called." Emma explained quickly. It wasn't the full story, but she hoped Regina would accept it.

"Why do you care?" Regina asked. "I mean, I've been trying to come up with a reason why you should give a damn about me after everything I've done to you, and I can't."

"Henry cares about you. He loves you, which means I won't let anything happen to you. Also, it's my job. But putting all of that aside, I do care about you. I know we've got a bit of a history, Regina, and trust me, I'm not one to forgive easily, but I did. Everything you did to me was to try and keep your town and your son, and yeah, at the time I was pissed, and I still am about some things, but I can't hold a grudge against you for any of it." Emma said, ending with a shrug.

"You care about me?" Regina asked.

"Isn't that what I just said?" Emma asked, playfully grinning at the other woman.

"I.. I care about you too, I suppose." Regina said, her cheeks a light pink. They both pretended not to notice.

"Thanks, I think." Emma laughed quietly.

She nodded. "So, what happened after I called?"

Emma sighed. She had hoped she wouldn't have to keep talking, but since Regina had held up her end of the deal, she would do the same. "She asked how you knew I was upset, so I had to explain the whole emotional bonding thing to her. She tried to convince me to go back to Gold and have him take it off, and then said you must have forced me. I started yelling again, and then she said something and Henry and I just left." She said the last part quickly, hoping Regina wouldn't notice she didn't tell her exactly what Snow said.

"What did she say?" She asked.

Emma sighed. "I told her that you were a good mother to Henry and that she had no right to talk about you that way in front of him, and then she.. Well, she said I was his mother. It was like she hadn't heard a single word I had said. I think I just glared at her and left." She said. Emma could feel herself getting angry again, but she could also feel a lot of sadness. She quickly realized it was Regina's emotion, not her own.

"Oh," Regina said.

"Henry has two mothers, Regina. And for the record, you're a kickass mom. You raised him better than anyone else could have. Better than I would have. When I gave up Henry, I wanted him to have his best chance. He got that with you. You love Henry so much that sometimes I'm scared it'll kill you. He loves you too. I know sometimes you doubt that, but I'm telling you, he does. He's eleven, so he might not always show it, but he does. He loves you so much he doesn't know what to do with himself." Emma told her so quietly that even if Henry had been eavesdropping, he wouldn't have heard a word.

Regina was now openly crying, her head in her hands as she leaned over the counter. For a second, Emma debated, but then finally gave up and pulled the woman into her arms. "You are Henry's mother. Don't doubt yourself, Regina. You deserve better than that." She whispered, rubbing gentle circles in her back.

Emma had always been terrible at comforting people; nobody had ever comforted her so she never knew what to say or do, but with Regina it felt natural. Easy, even.

"I deserve nothing." Regina said. She was stiff in Emma's arms for a few seconds, but after that, she relaxed and gave in to the embrace.

"You deserve everything," Emma said. She pulled away from Regina and took her shoulders in her hands and looked directly into her chocolate eyes. "After everything you've been through and overcome, you deserve all the happiness in the world. You're gonna get it, too. You WILL have that happy ending if it's the last thing I do."

Regina looked at the blonde and managed to give her a watery smile. "Thank you." She whispered, burying her head in the other woman's neck.

It was that moment that made Emma swear to herself that she would hug the brunette more often, even if it was awkward every single time. She imagined that besides Henry and maybe Kathryn, no one had hugged the woman in twenty-eight years, and it was clear she needed it.

When Regina pulled away, Emma smiled at her. "Why don't you go relax? Henry and I are cooking, remember?" She said, giving her a grin.

"You know you don't have to do this, Emma." Regina said.

Emma could feel Regina's emotions, but she couldn't put a finger on what it was. She did, however, know that Regina didn't want to feel like a burden. "I know I don't have to, but I want to, okay?"

"Okay,She said.

"Good. Go lie down, Henry and I will let you know when it's done."

When Regina left, Emma went upstairs to get Henry.

"Hey, kid. Come help me make dinner for your mom. I've got no clue where she keeps anything."

"Really? Mom never lets me help her cook!" He said excitedly. He jumped of of his bed and started to run down the stairs.

Once they were in the kitchen, Emma turned to him. "Have you ever asked her if you could help her cook?" She asked him.

Henry thought about it for a minute. "Not in a few years.." He said.

"Well, kid, she probably doesn't know you want to help. Next time she's cooking, ask her." She replied with a quiet sigh.

Sometimes it drove Emma crazy how oblivious Henry was about certain things. Knowing how much Regina doubted his love for her only made it worse. She knew Henry didn't mean to hurt Regina and that he was trying extremely hard, but it was still hard for her to watch.

"Listen, kid," she started to say while she looked for the ingredients to make spaghetti, homemade garlic bread, and salad, "I know you love your mom, and she knows it too, but sometimes she forgets." She spoke quietly, not wanting Regina to overhear their conversation. "So sometimes, you gotta tell her. If you want to do something with her, ask. Tell her you love her, and hug her a lot. All the time. For no reason."

Henry nodded. "I can do that," he said. "I don't think she gets a lot of hugs." He whispered to Emma.

"I don't think so either, kid. We're just gonna have to fix that." She said, grinning at him.

"You're gonna hug my mom?" Henry asked.

"Sure," she said, shrugging her shoulders.

"Cool. Do you like her?" He asked.

"Of course I like your mom."

"No, I mean do you like-like her." Henry said, rolling his eyes.

Emma froze. Of course the kid would ask that. She had promised him she wouldn't lie to him, and she really didn't want to, but how could she answer him when she didn't even know herself? She took a deep breath. "I don't know, kid. Would it be a problem if I did?" She asked.

Henry grinned and shook his head. "No way! I mean, it would be a little weird since I've never seen my mom date anyone, but no! That'd be awesome, Ma." He said excitedly.

"Calm down," she said with a quiet laugh. "I don't even know if I like her yet. Or if she likes me."

"She does," Henry said, "I know it."

"How?"

"Because I see the way she is around you. She's not like that around anyone else. She laughs around you sometimes, and I don't think anyone's seen her cry except you and me, and I wasn't supposed to. Plus, she gets all nervous sometimes when I ask if we can invite you for dinner." Henry said matter-of-factly

Emma thought about that for a moment. "Okay," she said, "make the salad, will you?" She asked. The garlic bread was already finished and the spaghetti would be in less than five minutes.

Henry understood that his mom needed time to process everything he had said and worked in silence. He made the salad and put it in three separate bowls. He managed to set the table and pour drinks for everyone in the amount of time it took Emma to finish the food and put it on plates.

"Okay, kid, you go put the food on the table and I'll get your mom." She said.

Henry nodded and did as he was told. Emma set off on her task of finding Regina in the large house. She checked the study and living room but couldn't find the brunette. She went upstairs and found the brunette laying on her bed with the door open. She stared for a moment, trying to determine if she was awake or not. When she had decided she was, she smiled. "Hey, dinner's ready." She said.

Regina sat up and nodded. "I'll be down in a minute."

Emma nodded and went back downstairs. Her and Henry both sat down but decided against eating without Regina. They talked about Henry's school while they waited for the other woman.

Regina came downstairs with her hair and makeup done and wearing a new outfit. The black jeans she was wearing were skin-tight and the white t-shirt had a v-neck that was borderline appropriate.

Emma had too keep her jaw from dropping when the woman came into the room. She assumed the change had occurred because of magic – there was no way she could have changed in the short amount of time that had passed – and thanked whatever god was out there for magic.

Suddenly, Emma knew the answer to Henry's question. She like-liked Regina Mills.

 **Hope you guys enjoyed the chapter! Chapter five will contain the dinner because I felt this was a good place to end off and I didn't want this chapter to be TOO long. Please leave reviews and let me know what you think or any suggestions you have!**


	5. Chapter 5

Emma stared for a moment before finally gathering herself up enough so that she could speak. "You look amazing." She told Regina. Her brain felt like it had turned into a puddle at the sight of Regina and her knew realization. She had always thought Regina was beautiful – anyone with eyes could see that – but when Henry brought up the idea of her liking the brunette, it was impossible for her not to realize she did. She wondered if was obvious to Regina as well.

"Thank you, Miss Swan. You don't look too bad yourself, I suppose." Regina teased in response.

"You suppose? Rude." Emma said, rolling her eyes playfully.

"That leather jacket of yours is hardly stylish, dear." Regina said.

Emma just laughed and motioned for the woman to sit. She couldn't read all of Regina's emotions – there seemed to be too many of them – but she could make out a few. Fear and sadness. She knew it was to be expected, but it still worried her. All she wanted was not only for Regina to be safe, but for her to feel that way. She knew it would take time, but she wasn't sure how the other woman would be able to heal with Whale walking around town every day.

Emma sighed as they all began eating. Regina and Henry talked about how he was doing in school and they talked about a project he had coming up, but Emma wasn't listening. She was off in her own little world trying to figure out what she was going to do.

Looking at Regina she seemed happy and if you didn't know the woman, you'd think nothing was wrong, but Emma knew better. The fake smile that was seemingly plastered to her face was hiding a world of pain, and not all of it was related to the recent incident. She knew that Regina was a private person and probably wouldn't want to talk to her, but she knew she needed to talk to someone. She sighed inwardly when she realized she wanted to be that someone for Regina, and that it killed her that she couldn't be.

Emma was snapped out of her thoughts when she realized both mother and son were staring at her expectantly. "Huh?" She asked.

"I asked if you were alright, dear. You've been very quiet." Regina raised an eyebrow at the blonde.

"Yeah.. Yeah, I'm fine. I just, uh, need some air. I'll be right back." Emma said quickly. She got up and left the table. She didn't know what had come over her, but she suddenly couldn't be in that room a second longer.

Regina could feel Emma's emotions, and all she felt was panic. She was going to just let the blonde have some air, but Henry stared at her.

"Go after her, Mom!" He told her firmly.

She nodded and went to go find her. She found her outside, sitting on the steps of the front porch. Regina debated sitting down next to her for a moment and then decided to do it. Placing her hands in her lap, she turned to Emma.

"What happened in there?" She asked the blonde.

Emma sighed. She didn't know how to explain that she was finding herself falling in love with the adoptive mother of her son, and only because he made her realize how she felt. It seemed like everything was happening too fast, but in reality, nothing was happening at all. She avoided looking at the brunette because she was scared that if she did, she wouldn't be able to resist kissing her.

"Emma?" Regina asked when she didn't answer.

"I.. I don't know." She lied.

Regina took a deep breath. "I know that I'm not exactly your favorite person in the world and that I'm probably the last person you'd like to talk to, but you can talk to me. I'm a good listener." She said. Her body filled with fear of being rejected, and Emma felt it.

She nodded her head quickly. She didn't want Regina to think she didn't appreciate it. "Thanks, Regina. I hope you know that the same goes for you.." She said, taking a deep breath. "I know you probably don't want to talk to me, but I think you should."

"I'll talk if you do." Regina said to her. She shivered slightly. It wasn't very cold out, but her shirt was thin.

"Inside, then? You're shivering." Emma said, moving to stand up.

Regina shook her head. "We can stay, I'm okay."

Emma sighed and rolled her eyes. "Fine," she said, "but at least take my jacket." She took off her red leather jacket and draped it around Regina's shoulders before she could bother protesting. It left her in only a white t-shirt, bit she wasn't cold.

Regina just shook her head and laughed quietly at the fact that she was wearing the jacket she was supposed to despise so much. "Alright, fine. What's wrong?" She asked. She refused to let Emma finagle her way out of answering the question.

Emma sighed. She didn't know what to say. She couldn't tell the truth, but she couldn't lie, either. Panic filled her again, but she felt a hand on her arm.

"Emma, it's okay. You can tell me." Regina said in a soothing voice.

Immediately, Emma started to calm down again. She tried again to think of what she was going to say when Henry opened the door.

"Ma, if you don't tell her in the next ten minutes, I will. I know, okay?" He said with a roll of his eyes. He ran back in the house before either of them could chastise him for eavesdropping and shut the door.

"Tell me what?" Regina demanded, now glaring at the woman.

Emma's face was a shade of dark red now, and while she could feel Regina's confusion and anger, she knew that her own emotions of panic and embarrassment had resurfaced again.

"I like you," Emma mumbled, "like, I really like you, and I didn't want to tell you because I really didn't know until about five seconds after you came downstairs and I didn't want you to hate me forever and I'm really sorry, Regina." She said quickly, her words all running together as she fumbled over them.

Regina stared for a moment. That was clearly not the answer she had been expecting, and Emma sighed quietly.

"I know I shouldn't have said anything, I just-"

Her words were interrupted by lips on hers. Regina's lips, in fact. For a moment, she was too stunned to return the kiss, but then she did.

When the two women pulled apart, Emma just stared at Regina.

"You kissed me."

"I did."

"Why?"

"Well," Regina said, "I thought that was pretty obvious, Miss Swan. I like you too. I'm not quite sure why, but-"

This time, Emma cut Regina off with another kiss. "Good," she mumbled, "because otherwise, I would have killed our son."

Regina laughed quietly. "He gets that nosiness from you, not me."

"Damn right he does." Emma said, laughing quietly. She looked at Regina and grinned. "Are you free tomorrow?"

"I believe so, why?" Regina asked.

"Good. I'd like to take you out on a date."

"Oh," Regina said, "why tomorrow?"

"So you can't back out." She replied with a small grin.

"I would not back out!" Regina protested.

Emma just laughed. "Sure you wouldn't. I'll see if Ruby or Belle can watch Henry tomorrow." She said, already forming a plan in her head. "Come on, we better go talk to the kid and let him know."

"Are you sure Henry is okay with this?" Regina asked.

Emma could feel that she was nervous and took her hand in hers. "Positive. I asked him if it would be weird, and he said he was cool with it. Actually, he said it would be great and then told me he was pretty sure you liked me." Emma laughed. "Come on, he's probably dying to know what's happening."

Regina visibly relaxed and smiled. "Alright," she said, "let's go."

Emma nodded and stood up. She pulled Regina up with her and planted one more kiss on her lips before going inside.

"Henry Mills, get your ass down here!" She yelled up the stairs. Despite how well things had worked out, she knew she had to scold him for eavesdropping and putting her in a bad position.

Henry came running down the stairs looking guilty. When he noticed the two of them were still holding hands, he grinned. "Told you, Ma!" He exclaimed, clapping his hands excitedly.

Emma rolled her eyes. "Yeah, you did, and you were right, but you can't do stuff like that, kid."

"How come? I mean, it worked!"

"Yeah, but what if it hadn't? You can't eavesdrop on people's conversations; it's an invasion of privacy. And you shouldn't put people in a position like that. It's not cool, kid." Emma said, shaking her head.

"I'm sorry." He mumbled.

"Good. Now go upstairs and do your homework, Henry. Your mom and I need to talk." She said, giving him a look that left no room for an argument.

Henry nodded and ran up the steps quickly, eager to get away from the stares of his two mothers.

Emma turned to Regina. "It's actually getting late, I should go. We can talk tomorrow, yeah?" She said.

Regina sighed and tightened her grip on Emma's hand. It was clear that she didn't want the blonde to go.

"I don't want to leave either, but I want to do this right. Which means I really do have to go. I'll text you tomorrow, I promise." Emma said, smiling at the brunette.

Regina sighed but nodded her head in agreement. "Alright. Will you stop by the office?"

"Are you going back to work tomorrow?" Emma asked.

Regina nodded. "The paperwork will pile up otherwise. I'd like to get back into my routine as quickly as possible."

Emma nodded. "Alright. I need to drop something off anyway, I'll stop by in the morning.. Call me if you need anything, okay?" She said.

"I will. See you tomorrow, Emma."

"Goodnight." She said and placed a kiss on Regina's cheek before reaching into her jacket pocket and pulling out her keys. Regina was still wearing the jacket, but she decided to let her keep it for the night. Before Regina could consider protesting and returning the jacket, the blonde was already out the door.

As much as she didn't want to go home, she knew she couldn't sleep in her car. She drove to the apartment and went inside. She ignored Snow and went straight upstairs to her room. She didn't bother showering – she just changed into a pair of short shorts and a tank top and got into the bed.

She thought about Regina and wondered what the brunette was feeling. She found that if she focused a little, she could feel her emotions even if they weren't very strong ones. There was overwhelming sadness and fear, but it seemed to be placed on the back burner for the moment. She was excited, nervous, and pleased.

Emma fell asleep thinking about the brunette, and after tucking Henry in, Regina fell asleep thinking about the blonde. Both women thought about the upcoming date and the promise to see each other in the morning and sleep came easily for once.

 **I hoped you all enjoyed this chapter! I know it was pretty heavy on dialogue, but I had to get it in there somewhere! The next chapter will be all about their first date! It should be pretty long and will be featuring a suggestion from one of you all! If you happen to have a suggestion of your own, please leave one in the reviews! I'm always open to them, and while I may not use every single one, I will try to use some of them! I'll let you know who suggested it in the next chapter, don't worry! Thank you for reviewing and taking the time to read this story, it really means a lot.**


	6. Chapter 6

Emma woke up the next morning with butterflies in her stomach. She only had a few hours to plan her date with Regina, and she wanted it to be perfect. She knew that Regina had probably never been on a date before, and she was absolutely determined to make it special for her. While she didn't know very much about the woman's life in the Enchanted Forest, she was aware that immediately after Daniel died, she was forced into marrying her grandfather - Emma shuddered at that thought - and then she was the Evil Queen. She assumed that her dating life had been pretty non-existent in the enchanted forest. If Emma was to be Regina's first date, she was going to make it the best date she'd ever had. She wanted to be her first date and maybe even her last. That surprised her too, but she had decided to just go with it. She had never been the romantic type, or the type to go out on a fancy date, but she knew that Regina was a classy girl and would want to do something that was classy.

After thinking for a moment, Emma got an idea. She grinned to herself and went to take a shower. She got dressed and went downstairs, making a point to ignore Snow. She turned to David while grabbing two apples from the refrigerator. "You want to ride to work together? I noticed your car was still at the station when I drove home last night." She asked him. Truthfully, she needed to talk to her father. Between her two parents, David was the easiest to talk to and be around, and he also understood that Regina had changed.

"Sure, Em. Let me just grab some coffee and we can head out." David replied happily. He filled up his to-go cup with the brown liquid and threw in sugar and milk while Emma put on her shoes. She grabbed her phone and keys and got ready to walk out of the door when Snow looked at her.

"Emma, please talk to me." Snow pleaded with tears in her eyes.

Emma shook her head. "I'm in a really good mood right now, Snow. I would appreciate it if you didn't ruin it with whatever excuse you're going to come up with." She said quietly and left the small apartment.

David walked out after her with an apologetic look to Snow. While he loved his wife, even David was able to admit when she was wrong. That, however, didn't change the fact that he felt the constant need to defend her, even to his daughter.

"Emma, you need to give her a chance to explain. You know she means well." David pleaded once they were standing outside the bug.

Emma unlocked the door and let David in the car before replying. "I know she does, but that doesn't change the fact that she talked about Regina in front of Henry. I won't stand for that. When she apologizes, we can talk. But right now, I need to talk to you." She said. She had already started to drive the car down the road while she spoke.

"About what?" David asked.

"Regina," she replied quietly.

David raised an eyebrow but nodded.

"Dad, I need you not to freak out, okay?" Emma said nervously.

"Emma, what's going on? Is Regina okay?" He asked, trying to hide his pleasure at the fact that she had called him 'Dad'.

Emma smiled softly at that. This was exactly why she loved her father. Even when he had every reason to hate Regina, he still cared about her. "Regina's fine. It's... I have a date with her tonight."

David swallowed and then nodded. "That explains a lot." He said calmly.

"You're not mad?" She asked.

"I'm not exactly thrilled that my daughter is dating the former evil queen, but no, I'm not mad. I just want you to be happy, and I think we both know that even if I was mad, it wouldn't stop you. Your mother on the other hand..."

"I know. I'm not going to tell her until after... I want it to be perfect." She mumbled. She was relieved that he wasn't angry, but she was still extremely nervous about the date and her plan.

"That's probably best." He admitted.

"I know." Emma said, laughing quietly. Now that they were at the station, she got out of the car and so did David. "Dad?"

"Yeah?" He asked, a big grin on his face. He really did love it when she called him that.

"Thanks." She said, giving him a brief hug.

Emma would never admit it to anyone, but she had become a bit of a Daddy's Girl. She was pretty close with her father, and knew that unlike Snow, she could tell him anything. He may not like it, but he knew when and how to keep his opinions to himself. She knew he felt guilty about her having to grow up without them, unlike Snow. She felt that they had done what needed to be done and that they were only trying to save Emma and everyone else, but Emma saw things differently. She sighed softly as she unlocked the station doors and went inside. As Sheriff, she had an office, so she quickly went and put her keys inside it.

"So, Em, what did you have planned?" David asked.

Emma grinned and told him about what she was going to do. She needed to be out of the station by three to set up, and he quickly agreed.

After she had finished explaining her date plans to David, she finished up the paperwork and took it over to Regina's office. Both women were nervous, but neither could tell where their emotions ended and the other's began.

Emma waited in the lobby for Regina to be finished with a meeting before she went inside her office.

"Hey." Emma said, smiling at the woman.

"Hello, Emma." Regina replied formally until the door was shut.

"Here's the paperwork I owe you." She said with a grin. It was actually three days late, but she hoped Regina was too distracted to notice.

"Thank you," Regina said, smiling at the woman as she accepted it.

Emma had to resist the urge to kiss Regina. She wasn't sure she could stop if she got started, and that was hardly appropriate.

"So, what am I supposed to be wearing on this date?" Regina asked.

Emma laughed quietly. "Something casual. If you need help, ask Henry. He'll know by the time he gets home.. And you need to be ready by five, Madame Mayor. I already had your secretary cancel your five o'clock with the dwarves." Emma said with a grin.

Regina rolled her eyes, but Emma knew she didn't really mind. "And what exactly did you tell him?"

"That we had business to take care of. I didn't know if you wanted to tell people yet." Emma shrugged.

"I don't think so. Not yet, anyway."

Emma nodded. "I, uh, kinda told my dad, though."

"You told your father you're taking his biggest enemy on a date? Really, Miss Swan?" Regina asked.

"Yes, I did. And he said he was okay with it, which is exactly why I told him instead of my mother. I couldn't lie to him." She said with a shrug. "I also told Belle, but she won't tell anyone. Not even Gold. If there's anyone in this town I can trust, it'd be her." She said with a shrug.

"Alright, fine." Regina said with a wave of her hand. She glanced at her watch and sighed. It was almost time for her twelve o'clock appointment with Mr. Gold.

"I need to leave, don't I?" Emma asked.

Regina nodded sadly. "You do."

"Kay," Emma said, "I'll pick you up at five."

She left the office and went back to the station. She had walked to City Hall, so she had to walk back. While she walked, she texted Henry her plans. She made sure he knew what his mother needed to wear and then went to finish the rest of her paperwork. It was a quiet day and not a single call had come in so far. By three o'clock, Emma was practically running out the door. She went home to change her clothes into something more suitable for their date and went to set things up.

An hour and a half later, Emma decided that everything was perfect and went to go pick up Regina.

She knocked on the door to the mansion with a single rose in her hand. She sighed when Henry was the one to answer.

"Glad to see you too, Ma. She said she'll be down in a minute. I think she's nervous." Henry said.

Emma nodded and laughed quietly. "Trust me, kid. We both are."

It was true. Both women were extremely nervous and excited. Emma was a bit scared as well, but she hoped that emotion was small enough that Regina wouldn't notice. She knew she would. Emma was satisfied with the way her date plans had come to life, but she was worried that it wouldn't impress Regina. She knew the woman was a bit classier than she was, but there was only one restaurant in Storybrooke besides Granny's, and if they went there, everyone would know about them by the morning. With her plan, they would be out of the public eye.

She was pulled out of her thoughts when Regina walked down the stairs. She was wearing a pair of tight, dark blue jeans that hugged her body in all of the right places and a black button up shirt that would keep her warm, but also comfortable. For shoes, she was wearing boots rather than her usual heels – she had Henry to thank for that – and had on a bit of jewelry. For a second, the blonde was speechless. Then, she pulled herself together and smiled. "You look amazing." She said, and then handed the brunette the flower.

"Thank you," Regina said, "so do you." The woman smiled nervously, and both women were suddenly even more nervous than they previously had been.

Emma smiled and looked at Henry. "Kid, Belle will be here in half an hour. Make sure you do your homework and don't give her any trouble, okay?"

Henry rolled his eyes but nodded. "Have fun, moms."

They nodded and walked out of the door. After Regina locked it, they walked over to the yellow bug. Emma opened the passenger door for Regina and shut it behind her, smiling as she did so. She wanted to do everything right. She had even had the bug cleaned.

"So, where are we going?" Regina asked.

"It's a surprise." Emma said as she pulled out of Regina's driveway.

Regina rolled her eyes. "Alright. Are dates usually surprises?" She asked.

Emma laughed. "I don't know. I guess not."

"I thought you'd been on dates before?"

"A few." Emma said, shrugging. "But most of them were for the job, so they don't exactly count. I was just trying to catch a guy, you know? I never dated much. After I had Henry, I kinda swore off dating for a few years."

"Why? I realize that your relationship with his father obviously ended, but you've never said much about it." Regina asked, raising an eyebrow.

While the two women talked, they became less nervous. Emma, however, grew sad and a little angry at the thought of Neal.

"We don't have to talk about it," Regina said quickly, "I was just curious." She had felt the anger, and didn't want Emma to feel that way on their date.

Emma realized her emotions had given her away and sighed, shaking her head. "No, I'll tell you. I guess I just get kinda pissed when I think about Neal." She said with a shrug. "He fucked me over. Like I told you the night we met, Neal isn't around. He doesn't know about Henry," she said, taking a deep breath, "but that's because he never bothered to. You know Henry was born while I was in prison. That was Neal's fault."

"What did he do?" Regina asked. She started to feel a little guilty that she knew where Henry was born, since she had exposed that secret without Emma's consent.

"It's fine," Emma said with a quick wave of her hand. She had felt the guilt. "I'm over it now." She laughed, thinking about the memory. She had been so pissed at the time, but it hardly seemed significant now.

Emma took a deep breath and launched into the story of how Neal had tricked her into taking the fall for the watches and sent her to prison. As she told the story, she managed to keep herself from getting angry by thinking about other things, such as the fact she had gotten Henry out of it.

"That's terrible…" Regina said quietly.

Emma shrugged and then laughed. "Henry's got some pretty fucked up genes between the two of us.. It's a good thing Neal ditched me. If he hadn't, I would have kept Henry. Me and Neal raising a kid would have been terrible. As much as I wish I'd gotten to see Henry at those younger ages, I'm glad he had you." Emma said.

Regina smiled at the woman, feeling a rush of gratitude and happiness at her words. "Thank you." She whispered.

Emma nodded and returned the smile. She then pulled the car into the stables and parked it.

"We're going riding?" Regina asked.

"Sort of. We're riding along a trail and then having a picnic.. Henry told me you loved horses." Emma said. If she hadn't felt the excitement Regina was feeling, she would have thought she didn't like the surprise. Once she realized she was excited, she realized that Regina was just shocked.

"Nobody's ever done anything like this before." Regina whispered. She was smiling wider than Emma had ever seen. She briefly wondered how this woman could have ever been evil. In that moment, Regina looked absolutely beautiful.

The words made Emma feel sad because she felt that Regina deserved so much better, but also happy because she was able to give Regina what she deserved. She wanted to give her everything.

It was a weird feeling for Emma to want to give Regina everything she deserved. She knew she was falling hard for the brunette, and normally, that made her want to run, but right now, she couldn't imagine it. She didn't want to ever go anywhere but right where she was.

"Emma?" Regina called. The blonde hadn't said anything in a few seconds and truly seemed to be in another world. "What are you thinking about? You just felt fifty things all at once, and I couldn't catch half of them."

The blonde laughed softly and got out of the car. Before Regina could even think about opening her own door, she had dashed over and opened it for her.

"Sorry about that. I just got a little distracted." Emma said. She knew that telling Regina what she had really been thinking would have scared her off. Hell, it would have scared her off too, had she not been the one feeling it.

"Alright." Regina said hesitantly.

Emma smiled at Regina's hesitation. She could feel that the other woman was worried. "I'm fine, I promise. Come on, we've got some horses waiting on us." Emma said.

The two of them started walking towards the stables. Emma took Regina's hand in hers and prepared herself to be rejected, but the brunette just squeezed it reassuringly as they walked.

Once they reached the stables and walked up to the horses, Emma turned to Regina. "David said you usually ride him when you and Henry go out." She said, and then laughed. "I'm pretty sure that no horse should be called Tiny, though. It's unrealistic. I mean, he's huge."

Regina just laughed at that, rolling her eyes. "I didn't name the horse, Emma. Don't blame me."

"Sure you didn't." She replied, sticking her tongue out. "So, you ready to go? It's only about a thirty minute ride."

"Of course. I didn't know you knew how to ride, though." Regina stated, raising an eyebrow.

Emma shrugged slightly. "I had a foster family when I was about 14 that had a few horses. The wife would let me ride sometimes. Until a few hours ago, I hadn't ridden since." Emma said, smiling softly at the memory. That home hadn't been the best – the dad was a drunk asshole and the older boy was a bully – but the woman was nice to her, and she had almost liked it there.

Regina nodded. She pulled herself up gracefully on the already saddled horse after untying it from the pole Emma had tied it to.

Emma did the same, although her move was much less graceful, and the two set off. Emma led the way, but the trail was big enough for the two of them to ride side by side. They kept it at a steady walk, neither of them wanting to get there too fast.

They made the thirty minute ride in mostly silence, but it was comfortable. A few feet away from where she had set up the picnic, Emma stopped her horse and Regina followed suit. She tied them both to a tree and turned to Regina.

"Close your eyes." She mumbled. When Regina looked like she would protest, Emma rolled her eyes and walked behind the woman and covered them with her hands. "Must you always be so difficult?"

"Yes." Regina muttered, but she was smiling.

"Fair enough. Wouldn't have it any other way." Emma replied and started to lead Regina to where they would be eating. The area was blocked by the trees so Regina couldn't have seen it before. Once there, Emma uncovered her eyes.

She could tell that Regina was nervous, but it was nowhere as nervous as she was. She wanted this date to be absolutely perfect, which would be hard if Regina didn't like it.

She uncovered the brunette's eyes and waited for her reaction. To her satisfaction, Regina was speechless.

"Close your mouth, you'll catch flies." Emma whispered into her ear, laughing softly. She relaxed now that she could feel the joy and surprise that Regina did.

The area was covered in small lanterns that lit it up like a christmas tree. There was a picnic blanket on the ground along with some nice pillows, a picnic basket, and a cooler. She had set up the plates and wine glasses, and the food had been cooked by Granny.

The two sat down and Regina still hadn't said anything. Luckily, Emma knew she liked it.

"How.. Why.. Thank you." Regina managed to get out. "This is the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me."

"I wanted this to be the best first date you'll ever have." She said. She didn't add that she hoped it would be her last first date. She wasn't sure if she loved Regina yet, but she knew she could one day. She had never thought she was the type to fall for someone this way, but here she was.

"It's perfect." Regina whispered.

Emma smiled to herself and pulled out the food. "Courtesy of Granny. When I told her I had a date she almost died of a heart-attack, I think." Emma laughed. "I made her swear not to tell Ruby, though. I love her, but that girl is incapable of keeping her mouth shut sometimes."

Regina laughed softly, which made Emma smile like an idiot. "What?" Regina asked, noticing the smile.

"You should laugh more often." She said simply. She loved the sound and felt as if she could listen to it all day.

Regina blushed but also smiled widely, looking at the blonde.

Emma put their food on the plates – Chicken Alfredo and a Caesar salad. She loved pasta and according to Henry, so did Regina. She poured the wine into the glasses and smiled.

"Cheers." She said.

"Cheers." Regina replied and the clinked their glasses together.

They ate in a comfortable silence for a few minutes and then started to talk about Henry. He had always been their safe subject. Regina started to tell stories about when Henry was younger, and even if Emma hadn't felt her emotions, she would have known how happy Regina was just by the look on her face. Emma talked about how miserable she was when she was pregnant with Henry and how much of a kicker he had been. Before they knew it, the sun was starting to set.

"I guess we'd better get going." Regina said quietly.

Emma nodded her head. And stood up. She helped Regina to her feet. "Of course." She said and packet everything in the picnic basket. She picked up the basket in one hand and grabbed Regina's in the other, and the two of them walked back to the horses. Emma secured the basket to the horse and they started to make their way back to the stables. They picked up the pace this time so they could get back before it got dark outside. They talked about the town as they rode – Emma complaining about having to catch Pongo all the time and Regina complaining about all of the paperwork she had to do now that the curse was broken – and about Emma's past as a bail bonds person. She told stories of some of the people she had caught.

Emma laughed quietly as she remembered the last guy she had tried to catch. "Actually, I had just gotten back from catching a mark the night Henry came to Boston and got me."

"That was your birthday." Regina said.

"Yeah, I know. I didn't really have any plans." Emma said with a laugh. "About a minute into the date I told the guy I knew who he was, and he flipped the table on me. Ruined my dress." She laughed again. "I walked after him because I'd already locked his car, and then smashed his head into the steering wheel. It's a pretty exhilarating job." She said.

"Do you miss it?" Regina asked.

Emma thought about it for a moment and shook her head. They had reached the stables now, and she dismounted her horse and led him back into his stable. "No. It was a cool job, but it meant a lot of late nights out and I moved a lot. You go where the work is, ya know?" She shrugged. "I liked it, but that's not me anymore. I'd much rather chase dogs and hang out with my kid and take his really hot mom out on dates in my free time." She said and winked at the brunette.

"Oh, really?" Regina replied with a smirk. "I would have thought chasing guys down would be much more fun."

"I don't chase guys, they chase me." She laughed. "Girls either. They're clearly all over me."

Regina chuckled. "Is that so? Anyone I need to be worried about?"

Emma playfully gasped as they walked back to the car. "Is Regina Mills jealous?"

She smiled as Emma opened the passenger door for her. "Should she be?"

Emma got in the car before replying. "Only if you think you should be jealous of Pongo… But I don't think he's any real competition." She said, rolling her eyes jokingly.

The two of them joked all the way back to the mansion. Emma walked Regina up to the door, but declined an invitation inside.

"I'm not supposed to come in on the first date." She said with a shrug, and then laughed. "I hope you had a good time."

"I did. I'd.. I'd like to do this again." Regina said nervously.

"I would too." Emma said, kissing her on the cheek, and then, against her better judgement, kissing her once on the lips. When Regina tried to pull her closer, she forced herself to pull away. "I'll see you tomorrow, Regina." She whispered.

"Tomorrow." Regina nodded. She went inside the house and shut the door, and then Emma grinned.

She skipped back to the car – yes, skipped – and grinned the whole way home. When she got home, her parents were sitting on the couch. Emma gave David a thumbs up and a wink and gave Snow a small smile that she didn't really mean before going upstairs to shower and change. It was ten p.m. by the time she was finished, and the grin still hadn't left her face.

She got into the bed and noticed that Regina felt just as happy as she did. It was easy to distinguish each other's emotions now, something she was very grateful for as she fell asleep. Even as she closed her eyes, she was still grinning like an idiot.

 **I hope you all enjoyed the first date! I'd like to thank reviewer lovelyja for giving me the idea to have them go horseback riding! If anyone else has any suggestions, please feel free to PM me or leave it in the reviews, I'll gladly take them! I love seeing reviews and honestly, they make me want to write even more! I may not get out a new chapter tomorrow as I'm planning out the rest of this story and also a new one, but there will definitely be one up by Thursday night. Thanks for reading and hopefully reviewing!**


	7. Chapter 7

Emma awoke the next morning feeling very cheerful. So cheerful, in fact, that she decided to allow Snow to talk to her. Once dressed, she practically skipped down the steps to go get herself some coffee.

"Emma, can we talk?" Snow asked.

She nodded her head and sipped her coffee while she waited for the woman to continue.

"I'm sorry I said those things in front of Henry," Snow started, but was cut off.

"But you aren't sorry you said them?" Emma asked.

"They're true, Emma." Snow said, shaking her head.

Emma felt her anger rising and slammed the coffee cup on the counter. She pretended not to notice Snow jumping at the action. The scalding hot liquid covered her hand, but she barely even noticed. Her phone rang, and she knew it was Regina, but she couldn't answer.

"We're dating, Snow." She said through gritted teeth. She was trying to keep herself calm, but she couldn't.

"That's not funny, Emma." Snow said, shaking her head.

"This isn't a fucking joke! That's where I was last night. Belle watched Henry and I took Regina on a date."

"I forbid it, Emma! You cannot date her! I forbid you!"

Emma's anger rose so much that she couldn't think. She couldn't even consider responding she felt so much rage. Then, out of nowhere, Regina materialized in a cloud of purple smoke in front of Emma. For a second, the brunette looked confused, but when she saw Emma, it all went away.

The blonde was shaking with rage as she stood there. Her hands were balled into fists and her body was shaking. Her face was red and her knuckles white as she shot Snow death glares.

"Emma? Emma, look at me." Regina said. She didn't know what was going on, but she knew she needed to calm Emma down.

For a second, Emma didn't respond. Then, she turned her head to the brunette and visibly relaxed. "How did you get here?" She asked after a second.

"I don't know," Regina said honestly, "one second I was home, the next I was here. I could feel the anger coming from you and I was worried, then I.." Regina paused, but continued. "I wished I was here, and then I was."

"Oh." Emma whispered.

"We should go. As much as I dislike your mother, I would hate to see you kill her. You'd never forgive yourself."

"Oh, I can't," Emma said, laughing humorously, "she 'forbids me' from dating you."

"I'd really like to see Snow try to stop us, dear." Regina snarled. She turned to the pixie-haired brunette who was still speechless.

Snow snapped out of it, however. "Get away from my daughter."

"I will do no such thing. You would do well to remember who you're speaking to, Snow White. I don't take orders from you. Emma is quite old enough to make her own decisions."

"You don't get to love my daughter! She's mine!" Snow yelled.

Emma silently thanked whatever God was out there that David was already at the station. Had he been there, the situation would have been worse.

"Oh, but I do, Snow. I do. Emma is not yours, nor is she mine. She is not an object." Regina said.

For a moment, none of the women in the room – not even Regina – realized that she had just declared her love for Emma, but the blonde was the first to realize it.

"You.. You love me?" She asked. Some people might have said it was too soon, seeing as they had only announced feelings for each other a few days ago, but to Emma, it felt right.

Regina swallowed hard. "I do, Miss Swan."

Emma grinned. Any anger she had been feeling flew out the window at those words. "I love you too." She said.

Regina blushed, but smiled at the woman. "I know."

Emma thought about that for a moment. Then, she walked over to Regina and took her hand in hers. She turned to Snow.

"I love her. This isn't some trick. It isn't a game. You may be my mom, but you don't get to tell me who I can and can't date. I've had enough of people making decisions for me. People decided for me for sixteen years." Emma said. She kept her voice steady and quiet. She wasn't angry, not anymore. Not when she was holding Regina's hand. It was so soothing and calming that she found being angry impossible. "You don't have to like it. I'm not asking you to. I'm asking you to respect the fact that I'm an adult capable of making my own decisions. Yeah, I might make bad ones, but this isn't one of them."

Snow stared for a moment before nodding. When she looked at the two women in front of her, she didn't know how she'd never seen it. Emma looked at Regina the way she looked at David. Their relationship was new, but she was sure it would last. She didn't like it, but she'd have to live with it. "I'm sorry." She whispered.

Emma nodded her head slightly to acknowledge she'd heard the apology and turned to Regina. The two women walked out of the apartment together, still holding hands. As soon as they were away, both of their angers died down. They felt calm and happy, although Emma felt sad as well.

"Are you alright?" Regina asked.

Emma nodded. "Are you?"

Regina nodded. "Would you mind driving me to the office? I don't exactly have my car."

Emma nodded. "Sure. What time do you want me to pick you up?" She asked.

"You don't have to do that. I can walk home tonight."

"I'm going to pick you up. What time?" Emma said firmly. The look in her eyes made Regina decide not to argue.

"Five thirty?" Regina said.

Emma nodded her head. "Kay."

The two women got in the yellow bug and Emma was glad she kept her keys in her leather jacket. She drove Regina to city hall and went to the station. Her day went relatively smoothly, but she knew that could change at any time.

At five thirty, Emma drove to pick Regina up. She didn't say much on the drive to the mansion – mostly keeping quiet as Regina spoke about her day – and declined the dinner invitation. After leaving the mansion, Emma went to the Rabbit Hole to – hopefully – get drunk.

 **I'm sorry about how short and crappy this chapter is, but I wanted to get something out. From now on updates will be once a week (every Monday) with an occasional surprise update every once in a while. I'll be doing some other fics and probably a one-shot every week, so I'll let you all know the schedule for that as well. Hooe you liked the chapter despite the fact that it sucked and will review! (Even if it's just to tell me you hated it. It's okay, I hated it too.)**


	8. Chapter 8

Emma kept to herself while at the Rabbit Hole. She ignored the guys that came up to her and offered to buy her a drink – she threatened a few of them – until finally, she was too drunk to care. She wasn't sure why the argument with Snow had made her as angry as it had, but she'd been quiet all day. She hadn't said a word to David or Ruby besides what was absolutely necessary for work, and had been completely out of it when talking to Regina. She knew she had worried the brunette, but she couldn't bring herself to do anything about it.

She glanced at her phone when it rang and saw that it was Regina. She debated not answering it for a moment, but then she held the phone up to her ear. She didn't say anything, but waited for Regina to.

"Emma? Are you okay?" Regina asked frantically.

"I'm fine." Emma replied, her speech slurred as she talked. She laughed afterwards, finally realizing how drunk she really was.

"Where are you?" Regina asked. Then, Emma heard a sigh. "Never mind, Emma. Goodnight."

"Night." Emma replied as the phone hung up. She wasn't sure what that had been about, but when she went over to the bar a few minutes later to ask for her keys back, the man refused.

"Sorry, I have orders from the mayor not to give them to you." The man said reluctantly. He clearly didn't appreciate being told to do by the former Evil Queen, but he was scared enough of her not to disregard her.

Emma rolled her eyes. "Call me a cab then." She muttered. Emma personally found it ridiculous that Storybrooke even had a cab – the town was small enough that you could pretty much walk everywhere – but now she realized it came in handy.

"That won't be necessary." A voice said from behind her. She groaned when she heard it.

"Regina? Why are you here?" She asked. "How did you even know I was here?"

"I could hear the idiot dwarf in the background. Let's go, Miss Swan."

Emma frowned at that. Regina only called her that when she was angry with her. She decided it would be best not to argue, and neither woman said anything until they were already on the road.

"I couldn't feel you." Regina said quietly. "I thought something had happened to you, or that you had left Storybrooke. I imagine it was because of how drunk you are"

"I'm not drunk!" Emma protested, but her slurred speech and pout told otherwise.

"Because of how drunk you clearly are," Regina continued, "I didn't know if you were alive or dead. Why didn't you tell me you were coming here? You turned down dinner with our son and then came to get drunk? Is being with me that terrible?" Regina asked.

At first, Emma was going to laugh, but then she realized that Regina wasn't joking. That sobered her up quickly. "No, no! It wasn't about you, Regina." She said, shaking her head vigorously. "I just needed to be alone for a minute to think."

"About what?" Regina asked. They had pulled into the driveway of the mansion.

"About what I'm going to do. I can't live with my parents anymore, but the dwarves are nowhere near done building the new apartment complex yet. I love David, and despite her royal bitchiness, I love Snow too. But I can't live around someone who thinks they can tell me what to do with my life. I had enough people make decisions for me for one lifetime." Emma said quietly. Her intoxicated state had made her share more than she had originally intended, but it was Regina, so she didn't mind.

Regina looked like she was thinking for a moment, and then sighed. "If that was the big deal, you could have just said so. Come stay at the mansion."

"You.. Are you asking me to move in with you?" Emma asked.

Regina laughed softly. "I suppose so. I don't know how dating works here, but in the Enchanted Forest, things moved fairly quickly. If it's too fast for you, I have guest rooms."

Emma nodded. "Okay.. I'd really like that. It's not too fast, I was just surprised. You'll have to ask me again in a few hours though." Emma muttered the last part, and then laughed to herself. She turned and looked Regina in the eye before grinning bigger than she ever had before. "I love you." She said.

"You're an idiot," Regina replied, "but I love you too."

"I'm not an idiot, I'm your idiot." Emma replied before leaning in and kissing Regina on the lips.

Regina rolled her eyes and softly chuckled. "I could just magic all of your things in here.. It would probably give your mother a heart attack."

Emma laughed at that and nodded. "You can do that?"

"You'd want me to?" She asked.

"Hell yes." Was Emma's reply.

Regina closed her eyes for a few seconds and then opened them. "Everything from your room is in the guest room. You can sort through it tomorrow, as it's one in the morning."

"Shit, it's one? Henry's by himself?" Emma asked.

"I put a protection spell over the house before I left. Blood magic is the only way anyone is getting through that door. Henry is fine." Regina replied with the wave of her hand.

She got out of the car gracefully and then Emma stumbled out after her, nearly tripping over her own two feet as she tried to walk. Regina only sighed and held on to the blonde's arm to help her walk.

"If you ever get this drunk without telling me again, I will kill you, Emma Swan." Regina said with a roll of her eyes.

Emma nodded and laughed quietly. Regina let go of her arm and worked on taking the protection spell down. Emma waited patiently, and a few minutes later they entered the mansion.

"You're sleeping in the guest room." Regina said with a smirk. "I overheard Miss Lucas say you get quite handsy when you're drunk."

Emma blushed and sighed. "I'm going to kill her. I do not get 'handsy' I just grabbed her ass a few times. I was REALLY drunk, okay?" She said. A nervous laugh followed her words, and she glanced at Regina.

"Of course you were." Regina said with a shake of her head.

"You're not mad?" Emma asked nervously. She was always nervous when she was drunk.

"That you felt up Miss Lucas before we were dating? No. If you ever do it again, however, you may lose a hand." Regina replied and walked her up the steps. "Go to sleep, Emma. I'll see you in the morning."

"Kay. I love youuuuu." Emma sang, grinning at the other woman like an idiot.

Regina rolled her eyes for what seemed like the hundredth time that night. "I love you too, darling. Now go to sleep." She said. She waved her hand and Emma was no longer wearing her red leather jacket and jeans, but was now wearing silk pajamas that belonged to Regina.

Emma giggled and laid down in the bed that was usually placed in her parents apartment. She vaguely remembered thinking that her mother was going to kill her before she drifted off to sleep.

For Regina, however, sleep didn't come quite as easily. She was constantly checking on the blonde because she still couldn't feel her emotions. She hadn't realized just how dependent she had become on the bond in the last few days until she no longer had it.

Soon, it was 6:45 a.m. and Henry was awake and walking down the steps. Regina poked her head out her bedroom door and put a finger to her lips, signaling for him to be quiet. They walked down the steps together and he looked at her sleepily.

"What's goin' on?" He asked as soon as they got to the kitchen.

"Your mother is sleeping upstairs." Regina said, sighing.

"How come?" He asked.

"She got a bit intoxicated."

"Ma got drunk?" Henry asked, laughing. "Last time she got drunk she laughed for twenty minutes at one of Gramps' jokes."

Regina rolled her eyes. "Of course she did. Well, we're going to be quiet and I'm going make some breakfast. What would you like?"

"Apple pancakes," he said immediately "Ma loves your apple pancakes."

"How has she had my apple pancakes?" Regina asked.

"After the curse broke, I'd bring her leftovers sometimes." He said, shrugging.

"Why not before?" She asked.

Henry sighed and looked down guiltily. "I didn't trust you and apples." He said. It was very obvious to everyone that Henry felt extremely guilty about the way he had treated Regina prior to the curse breaking, even if it had been warranted.

Regina laughed quietly. Even though the months before the curse were a sore point for her, she did find some things funny. "Of course not. Well, I suppose I could make pancakes."

Henry grinned. "Can I help?" He asked timidly, like he was sure she would say no.

"Of course you can, Henry. I need to talk to you as well, alright?" Regina said. She didn't even try to conceal the smile on her face.

"About what?" He asked. "Is everything okay?"

"Yes, yes. I just wanted to talk to you about your mother and I."

"Oh, okay." He said, raising an eyebrow.

"I asked her to move in with us," Regina said, "and I know I should have asked if that was okay with you first, but-"

Henry cut her off. "Mom, all I want is for you and Ma to be happy. Ma moving in is great. I don't have to go back and forth anymore, and I get to have both my moms in one place. You don't have to ask me, kay?" He said to her. He gave her a look that was so Emma-like Regina couldn't help but laugh.

"Alright, Henry." She said, nodding her head.

He hugged her briefly. "I love you, Mom." He whispered before pulling away.

"I love you too." She replied, her smile only growing. It was rare that Henry showed her this much affection, especially this early in the morning, so she didn't complain. "Now let's make these pancakes." She said.

The two of them began making the pancakes, but they didn't say much. The silence was comfortable as they worked. After about twenty minutes, they were done. Then, Regina felt Emma's emotions slowly returning. She felt confused, and Regina assumed that was because she was awake.

"I think Emma is awake. Why don't you go set the table and I'll go get her?"

When Henry nodded, Regina made her way up the steps. On her way to the room, she stopped in her own and picked up a vial of something to give Emma. She then knocked on the door to the guest bedroom, and when she heard a groan, she knew that was the blonde's way of telling her she could come in.

"Good morning." Regina said, laughing softly at the state of the blonde. Her hair was sticking out in every way possible and there were marks on her face from her laying her face on top of her hand.

"Morning." Emma said, and then groaned again when she realized what she was wearing.

Regina chuckled softly and then waved her hand. Emma was wearing her red leather jacket, a tight fitting white t-shirt and skin tight black jeans. She was wearing boots with heels that made her a few inches taller, and Regina smiled in satisfaction. Her hair was even perfectly done.

Emma grinned. "Thanks." She said, and then winced at her head.

Regina handed her the vial. "Drink that. It'll make the headache go away." Regina said. She had dealt with enough hangovers to know how to get rid of it.

Emma nodded and downed the liquid without a moment of hesitation.

Regina looked shocked for a second, and Emma noticed. "What?" She asked.

"Why do you trust me so much? You didn't even ask what it was."

"I trust you." Emma said simply.

"I tried to poison you." Regina pointed out.

Emma laughed softly. "You did. But we're dating now, and honestly, you've had plenty of chances to kill me since the curse broke. I trust you. Anyway, Henry's probably waiting downstairs, so we should get down there." She said and started walking. When it didn't look like Regina would follow, she sighed and grabbed her arm, then led her down the steps.

"You're impossible, I hope you know that." Emma muttered.

 **Okay, end of that chapter! I hoped you all liked it. I had a bit of writers block last week and it was hard for me to even get out the chapter I did, but I'm good now! The next chapter will be next Monday, hopefully, but it may be a little late. I'm working on a new story that I hope everyone will like! Please don't forget to leave a review if you liked it!**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Okay, here's the newest chapter! Please don't forget to leave a review or a suggestion! This probably has 2-4 more chapters left now, but I'm not really sure. I'm most likely going to be putting up my new story on Wednesday or Friday, but I'm not one hundred percent sure. I've been having a lot of trouble getting it written, not going to lie. Anyway, here we gooo!**

* * *

Three days had passed and Emma had successfully managed to ignroe Snow for all three of them. Whenever she saw her in public, she pretended that she wasn't there, and she ignored all of her calls. That was, however, until Snow decided to show up at Regina's one morning.

The doorbell rang, and Emma immediately bounced up to get it. She was constantly trying to help out around Regina's even though the brunette claimed she didn't need to. She opened the door without checking to see who it was (after all, she _was_ the sheriff) and stood in shock for a moment when she saw that it was Snow.

"Snow." She muttered quietly. "What can I do for you?" She asked.

"You can come home, Emma." She said.

Emma studied her for a moemnt and tried to keep herself calm. When she looked at her mother she realized that the pixie-haired brunette didn't look angry, but rather sad and hurt instead. "I am home, Mom." She said softly. "I live here now. I love you and Dad, really, I do, but I'm home now. This is my home. I love Regina and Henry, and even if you don't like it, they're my family. It makes a lot more sense for me to live here than to be a twenty-eight year old living with her parents."

Snow frowned. "But we miss you, Emma. I don't care that you moved in with Regina. That's not what this is about.. I came to apologize. I wasn't fair to you or to Regina, and I regret that. I don't want to lose you, but I feel like I already have."

"You haven't." Emma said quietly. "I just needed some time away from you for a few days. You're not forgiven - not yet, anyway - but I'm not mad anymore. Just.. If you love me as much as you say you do, you need to leave us alone. Regina and I are a couple. I love her, and I'm pretty sure she loves me too. I won't stand for you talking down to or about her. No matter what she's done in the past, she deserves better than that. It was twenty-eight years ago, Mom. It's about time you and everyone else in this town got the hell over yourselves."

Snow nodded her head slightly. Emma watched her and decided that Snow was being sincere about her apology. "Okay, Emma. I just want you to be happy." She said and hugged her daughter briefly.

Emma reluctantly returned the hug before pulling away. She looked at Snow, who was now crying, and sighed.

"I should go. I love you, Em." She said.

"I love you too, Snow." She said and watched her mother walk away. She sighed and shut the door. When she turned around, Regina was standing right in front of her.

"Are you alright?" Regina asked. She hadn't felt any anger coming from Emma, only sadness.

"I'm okay." She said with a nod. "That went better than I expected."

"Then why are you upset?" Regina asked.

Emma sighed. _Dammit._ She thought to herself. As useful as the bonding thing was, Emma was having difficulty being so open with someone, even if that someone was Regina. "I'm not sure. I don't know, I guess I just didn't want to hurt her."

"Must be a Charming thing." Regina muttered.

"Huh?" Emma asked, confused.

"Not wanting to hurt the people who hurt you. I said it must be a Charming thing."

"I think it's more of a 'not wanting to hurt the people you care about' thing." Emma corrected quietly.

"Your mother doesn't care about me." Regina replied.

Suddenly, Emma got where Regina was going. She was refering to the time Snow had stopped her execution and let her go. "Yes she does." Emma replied. "She doesn't realize it and she probably doesn't want to admit it, but she does. You care about her too."

Regina's anger flared. "I do not care about Snow White!" She practically yelled.

Emma laughed. She wasn't going to be intimidated by Regina's anger. "Yes you do. You tried all those years to kill her and you couldn't, and then you had her right here for twenty-eight years and you still didn't kill her. Not to mention that you've had plenty of chances to kill her since the curse broke, and she's had plenty to let you die as well. As twisted and fucked up as your relationship is, you two _do_ care about each other."

Regina thought about that for a moment before sighing. "Since when are you a fucking psychiatrist?" She asked.

Emma laughed quietly. Regina rarely ever cursed and hearing it was like heaven to her ears. "I don't know. I'm probably just as qualified as Archie is, though." She said with a shrug.

"True." Regina laughed as well, her anger clearly dying down.

Emma just rolled her eyes at how easy the former Evil Queen was to calm down. Maybe if people had ever tried treating her like a real, decent person she wouldn't have killed them and cursed them all. She just smiled at her. "I love you." She said. For the past few days, that had been her most prominent emotion. Love. It was weird to think that in reality, they had only been together for a few days. It seemed like it had been a lifetime, but Emma found that she wanted a lifetime with the brunette. Maybe even a few lifetimes.

"I love you too," Regina responded.

They were now holding each other. Wearing her heeled boots, Emma was taller than Regina - who was wearing flats - by a longshot. She rested her chin on the top of the now shorter woman's head and smiled. She couldn't remember the last time she had felt this happy, and she wasn't sure that Regina had felt this happy in a very, very long time. She closed her eyes and thought about her life before she came to Storybrooke. She never could imagined she would have this in just a few months, but she did. She had every thing she had ever wanted in life all at once. Her son, someone she loved, parents who loved her, and a house that kicked some serious ass. The circumstances were a little crazy and she was actually in love with her step-grandmother, but she tried not to dwell on that very strange fact.

Emma laughed quietly and the two women pulled apart. While they were public with their relationship, they hadn't spent much time outside the house and flaunted it. "We should take the kid to Granny's for breakfast or something. It's Saturday." Emma suggested.

Regina nodded and laughed. "Fine, but you're waking him up. He most certainly does not get the morning crankiness from me."

Emma rolled her eyes. "He doesn't get it from me either." She said. It was technically true. She was actually a pretty good morning person, but she had been having a lot of trouble sleeping the past few nights. Neal had been the one who had to be practically drug out of the bed every morning, and she knew that was where Henry got it from. Besides a few features, Henry hadn't really gotten much from his father.

"His father?" Regina asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Nothing more than a sperm donor." Emma said with a shrug. She hadn't thought about Neal in a long time, not since she'd explained to Henry that she'd lied about his father. She hadn't truly wanted to do it, but she also knew that it wasn't fair to lie to the kid. She'd even explained how he'd left her to go to prison for something she didn't do, and despite how angry he was, Henry understood why she had lied. After a few hours of silent treatment and a strawberry milkshake, Henry was over it and they were back to the way they always were.

"Fair enough." Regina replied with a nod. Clearly, neither of them had any desire to talk about Henry's birth-father.

Emma ran up the steps to go wake up Henry, laughing as she opened his door without knocking. She knew he'd still be sound asleep, and she debated jumping on his bed to wake him up. She decided to be a nice mom for once and gently shook him. "Wake up, Henry." She said softly.

"No." He grumbled sleepily.

"Henry," She said more firmly. "Get up right this instant or I'll go get a bucket of water." She warned.

Henry practically jumped out of bed at that; he knew it wasn't an empty threat. She had done it before and there was no doubt that she'd do it again, especially since she could just magic away the water. "Fine, fine! I'm up!" He said loudly.

Emma chuckled at that. "Good. Get dressed, we're all going to Granny's." She instructed and left the room.

* * *

 **Four Weeks Later:**

Four weeks later and Emma and Regina were still going just as strong as they had been before. Snow was much more accepting of their relationship and there had even been a very uncomfortable family dinner the week prior. Emma thought it was progress. Regina thought it was ridiculous. Henry thought it was a good idea, but it had probably been the most uncomfortable night of his life.

Now, however, things were changing. Their relationship was more serious than it had been before, and Emma was even planning to propose. She knew Regina would never make the first move - not for something this big - and even though she was terrified to, she knew that it was what she wanted. The only people she had told so far were Ruby and Henry, and her parents were next. She had debated not telling them until after, but she knew that her mother would be hurt by that, and so she had made the difficult decision to tell them beforehand.

That was where she was on her way now. She planned to propose the next day and had procrastinated doing this for long enough. She had already had a few drinks and had texted Regina to let her know - even one would dull their bond - and was required to check in every twenty minutes. If she forgot, Regina would just poof to wherever she was. They could do that now.

She entered the apartment without knocking - she never did - and saw her parents were both in the small kitchen.

"Hey, Emma!" Snow said happily. She always got overly excited when she stopped by for any reason.

Emma sighed quietly. "I need to tell you guys something." She said.

"What's wrong? Is everything okay? Is Regina alright?" David asked as soon as the words left her mouth.

Emma smiled at that. Now, whenever they talked, David always asked about Regina. He had taken the situation much better than Snow had and was even happy for her. Snow on the other hand just avoided the subject unless absolutely necessary. "Everything's fine, Dad. Great, actually. I'm... I'm going to propose." She said quickly. Ripping off the band-aid had seemed like the best plan, but while looking at Snow's shocked face, she wasn't so sure.

"You're _what?!_ " Snow yelled in a high-pitched voice.

For once, David ignored his wife and tightly hugged Emma. "Congratulations, Em. I'm happy for you." He whispered in her ear.

Emma grinned like an idiot. She knew she could rely on at least one of her parents, and she was glad for that. She hugged him back just as tightly. It was what gave her the strength to turn to Snow.

"You can't marry her!" Snow yelled.

Emma tried not to get angry at that, but then remembered she could get as angry as she wanted because Regina couldn't feel her. "I can do whatever I please." She said back.

"No!"

"I thought you were supportive!"

"Well, I _was!_ But that was because I had assumed you'd eventually see my way and you'd break up with her and I would still have you! I never thought you'd _marry_ her!" Snow yelled.

Emma decided that for her own sanity, she wouldn't justify that with a response. Instead, she turned to David. "Thanks, Dad. Try to make sure that vein in her head doesn't pop, will ya?" She asked jokingly. She just wanted to lighten the mood. "I'll see you at work tomorrow, okay?" She said.

At that, she turned around and left the house, now allowing herself to get angry. She screamed in frustration before getting in her car and driving off. She knew she needed to text Regina and let her know she was okay since she only had five minutes left, and she knew that she was driving entirely too fast for Storybrooke, but she didn't care. That was, at least, until she saw a wolf - very similar to the one she had seen on her first night in Storybrooke - in front of her car. Emma slammed on the brakes and held on to the wheel as tightly as she could, but when she realized the yellow bug wasn't stopping, she swerved her car out of the way - and right into a tree.

That was the last thing Emma remembered before her head slammed into the dashboard and she felt something slam into her side. She blacked out, oblivious to the world.

* * *

 **A/N: I know, I know. Cliffhangers. I make no promises about Emma's life.. Maybe reviews will save her? (I'm kidding, seriously. Although reviews WOULD be cool.) I hope you guys liked the chapter. The next one will be pretty crazy, I think. I can't wait to start writing it! I know this chapter probably sucked (I really need to stop waiting until Monday's to start writing them) but I thought it was better than some of the others I've put out, so oh well. Anyways, see you Monday! (Keep a look out for my new story - it'll be up before next Monday.) Till next time, my friends!**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: I know you guys probably hate me right now for what I did to Emma, but I can't say I'm sorry. ;) Read on, you'll see! As always, feel free to leave reviews and give me suggestions or just to let me know what you think. This chapter is set from Regina's POV at first, and then Emma's, as Emma is knocked out for the beginning.**

* * *

 **(Regina's POV)**

Regina paced the halls of her mansion, trying to concentrate. She couldn't feel Emma, as she had been drinking, but she had the sinking feeling that something was wrong. They had a deal - Emma would check in every twenty minutes or Regina would worry - but the blonde didn't seem to be following it tonight. It was five minutes after she was supposed to call, but Regina couldn't manage to poof herself to her. She had poofed into the rabbit hole, but the blonde hadn't been there. _Dammit, Swan. Where are you?_ She thought to herself.

Finally, she opened her eyes. She was standing in the middle of the street, and was confused for a few moments until she saw Emma's yellow bug. It had crashed into something, and Emma seemed to still be inside. Without even thinking about it, her feet had carried her over to the scene. She snapped her fingers and Emma was out of the car and lying on the ground in front of her. In her side was a piece of metal. It seemed to be something from the car, and it was quite large. There was a large gash on her forehead, and Regina was nearly brought to tears as she looked at her unconsious girlfriend.

"Emma? Emma, darling, please wake up." She whispered. When she didn't recieve a response, she used the last bit of her energy to poof them both into the hospital. As much as she didn't want to see Doctor Whale, she knew she didn't have a choice. For Emma, she'd do absolutely anything.

"WHALE!" She yelled. Despite how big the hospital was, she had managed to poof right to where he was, so the yelling hadn't really been necessary. With Emma bleeding out by her feet and her hands covering the wound, she wasn't exactly concerned with what he, or anyone else, thought of her.

"What did you do to her, you bitch?" Whale yelled back as soon as he saw Emma.

A few nurses and Whale all managed to get Emma onto a gurney. He instructed them to take her into the OR, knowing without even examining her that she would need surgery. Regina didn't even bother to answer his question. Of coruse people would blame her for hurting their precious savior. Even though she had punched Whale in the face, he still seemed to hold the blonde on the highest of pedestools.

Whale just shook his head when she didn't respond. It seemed that he understood the seriousness of the situation, and he just left Regina standing alone and covered in blood.

For a few minutes, she just stood there. Then, she gathered herself together and went to call David. She couldn't bring herself to call Snow, as she knew the woman would blame her as well.

"David?" She said into the phone. Her voice was hoarse and sounded nothing like her at all. Tears streamed down her face, making tracks in the blood she had somehow managed to get there. "There's been an accident." She said, long before he got the chance to say anything in response.

"Are you okay?" He asked immedietly. "Is Emma?" Henry?"

Regina let out a sob into the phone. "Emma... I..." She tried, but couldn't get it out. "We're at the hospital." She said.

"I'll be right there, okay?" He said.

Less than five minutes later, Regina felt arms around her. She tried to fight them for a few seconds before realizing that it was David, and then she prompty turned around and sobbed into his chest. Under normal circumstances, she never would have cried in front of him or anyone else, but these weren't normal circumstances. This wasn't okay. _She_ wasn't okay.

"Regina, what happened? Where's Emma?" David asked frantically while he rubbed her back.

Regina did her best to compose herself before answering. She stood up straight and pulled away from David. "She was in a car accident. She.. She told me she was going to the rabbit hole, but she wasn't there, so I got worried and found her in the car. It was bad, David. There was a lot of blood." She said quietly. She didn't want to say it. Saying it would make it true, and she didn't _want_ it to be true.

David froze. "She wasn't at the Rabbit Hole. She came to see Snow and I... They got into it and she left... She wasn't even drunk." He said slowly. His voice trembled as he spoke.

Regina didn't reply. She couldn't bring herself to tell David she blamed Snow for this; it would only crush him. Gently squeezing his arm, the two sat down in silence. For an hour, they waited. David called Snow a few times to update her, but she couldn't leave Neal. Regina didn't even bother to comment on what she thought about that. She knew it wasn't worth it.

After waiting for that long, aganizing hour, a nurse showed up. "Deputy Nolan, can I speak with you?" She said.

"Anything you need to say to me, you can say in front of Regina as well." He said firmly.

God, Regina loved this man and she hated herself for it. He was a charming, _the_ charming, and she was supposed to hate him. Only, he was so supportive and loving that she couldn't.

The nurse gave a nervous glance towards the former Evil Queen, but nodded. "Emma is doing okay. She's up in the ICU. Rumpelstiltskin was able to help Doctor Whale heal her injuries and remove the piece of metal without doing too much damage. She's lost a lot of blood and she'll be out of it for a while, but she should be alright."

David breathed out a sigh of relief, as did Regina. "Can we see her?" He asked.

"You may, but Mayor Mills may not." She said. "It's family only."

"She is family." David said firmly.

Regina looked up at him in surprise. She should have known they wouldn't allow her in, though. "It's alright, David. I need to go pick up Henry anyway. He was playing over at Nicolas' house, and I do need to get him. He doesn't know yet." She said.

In truth, she had completely forgotten that she needed to get Heny. With Emma's life on the line, he had slipped her mind.

David looked at her carefully, as if he was studying her. "Alright," He said hesitantly, as if he wasn't quite sure. He glared at the nurse before going up to see Emma. He called Snow on the way to let her know that Emma was alright.

Regina went and picked up Henry. Once they were in the car, he looked at her. "Mom, what's going on? Did something happen? Were you crying?" He asked.

Even though she had used magic to remove the blood from her body and change her clothes, she knew there was no wiping away the redness around her eyes. "Henry, I need to tell you something. Your mother was in a car accident. It was very bad, but she's alright now, okay? She's at the hospital, and David is with her. She's going to be just fine." She said. It was true that Emma would be alright, but that didn't stop the tremble in her voice as she spoke.

Henry paled. "She's gonna be okay though, right?" He asked, just to clarify.

Regina nodded. They were at the hospital parking lot now. "She's going to be just fine, Henry."

Henry nodded and practically jumped out of the Mercades, as did Regina. "Can we go see her?" He asked.

Regina nodded. "You can. They won't let me in, however." She said. She tried not to show how much that hurt in her voice, but Henry was observant.

Henry frowned. "How come?"

"You need to be related or married, and Emma and I are neither."

He frowned again. "They won't say no if I ask."

"How do you know that?"

"Because I'm a kid, and I'm the son of the Savior, which cancel's out being the kid of a past Evil Queen." He said with a small grin. Even though Regina knew Henry was worried about his other mother, she was glad he was still able to smile.

Regina softly chuckled, even though her heart wasn't really in it. She was just glad he hadn't refered to her as a current Evil Queen. "Fair enough," She said, and they entered the building. "But if they don't, it's alright. You just go ahead."

Henry just shook his head. "They will." He said confidently.

Regina nodded, not having the energy to argue with him. Although she knew Emma would be just fine, the blonde had still scared and worried her. The two entered, and Henry went up to the secretary desk and started speaking. Clearly, he wanted Regina to follow his lead, and she didn't even bother protesting. "We want to see my mom," He said. He didn't need to clarify who she was. "Please." He added.

"You can go on up, Henry, but it's family only." The secretary said.

Henry rolled his eyes. "My mom _is_ family, and I don't think the _Savior_ would like to hear that my mom wasn't allowed to come and see her." He said, giving a pointed look to the secretary whose name he did not know.

With a small sigh, the woman nodded. "If Doctor Whale asks, you snuck passed me." She muttered, and waved them on. "Room 213."

Henry grinned, and Regina gave her a tight smile. "Thank you," She said as Henry drug her away. They quickly found the room - the hospital wasn't very large - and entered. Regina gasped when she saw Emma; the blonde had a bandaged head and she was quite pale. "Oh, Emma." She whispered, immedietly going over to one side and holding her hand. Henry followed her.

"She's going to be okay, Regina." David said quietly to her, and walked over to Henry, squeezing his shoulder gently. "She's going to be just fine, Henry. Just a few bumps and bruises, alright?"

"That's not a few bumps and bruises, Gramps." Henry mumbled with a small shake of his head.

Regina turned around to her son. No matter what she was feeling right now, she knew she had to be there for her son. "She's going to be alright, Henry. She's the Savior, she doesn't have much of a choice." She said, forcing out a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes.

"I guess so," He replied. "Can I go get her something from the gift shop?" He asked quietly.

Regina nodded, knowing it was hard for him to see her like this. She handed him her wallet. "Be careful, okay?" She asked.

"I'll go with him." David said.

Regina nodded, giving him a grateful look. She knew he was trying to give her a few minutes alone with Emma, and that was exactly what she needed. She didn't let a single tear fall until the two where gone. She closed her eyes and leaned her head against the edge of the hospital bed. "Please wake up, darling. Please. I can't... I can't lose you," She whispered. She had already lost one love, she wasn't sure that she would be able to handle losing another. She stayed that way for a few minutes, but then there was a change.

Out of nowhere, Regina was hit with an overwhelming sense of fear that she wasn't sure she'd ever felt before. Before she could look up, she heard Emma's voice.

"I'm still alive?" She mumbled, like she was half asleep.

Regina couldn't help but roll her eyes as tears streamed down her face. "You're an idiot, Emma Swan." She muttered, tightly squeezing the blonde's hand in an attempt not to hit her.

" _Your_ idiot." Emma mumbled.

"Yes dear, you are most certainly _my_ idiot." Regina said, brushing stray strands of blonde hair back.

"'Gina?" Emma asked. "What happened?"

"You crashed your car, dear."

"Damn wolf." She muttered.

Regina raised an eyebrow. Clearly, the blonde haired woman's brain had been addled by the accident. "What's that?"

"The wolf. Same one I saw when I tried to leave Storybrooke the first night..." She mumbled.

Regina froze. "Were you trying to leave?" She asked. She knew the curse no longer stopped people from trying to leave, but she couldn't imagine why Emma would be trying to leave Storybrooke.

"Just.. For a minute." Emma mumbled. She finally opened her eyes, looking at Regina. "I had a fight with Snow.. I just wanted to get away for a minute." She said.

"You were going to _leave?"_ Regina asked, her voice raising in both volume and pitch.

"I wasn't going to _stay_ gone, I was just gonna wait at the town line and cool off for a minute." She said, shaking her head. Then, she winced, the action clearly causing her pain.

Regina closed her eyes and took a deep breath. How could Emma even _think_ about leaving Storybrooke? About leaving _her?_ "What did you fight with Snow about? David mentioned you two fought, but he didn't say what about. He and Henry went off to find something to eat, I believe." She said. She assumed Henry would want to keep his present a secret, so she allowed him that much.

Emma furrowed her eyebrow in thought. "Can you hand me my jacket?" She asked and pointed to the chair where the red leather jacket was currently residing.

"Of course." She said, and stood up. She reluctantly released the blonde's hand and grabbed the jacket, and then returned to the chair next to the bed. She wondered why Emma was avoiding her question, but she didn't comment.

Emma dug around in the pocket of the jacket for a minute and Regina felt that she was very nervous. She was briefly confused about why, until she saw the blonde pull out a small box that could only contain one thing - a ring. "Emma, what are you doing?" She asked, panicking slightly. Surely Emma couldn't be proposing. Not now, right? Not yet? But it wasn't _really_ too soon, was it?

"This wasn't really how I wanted to do this, but I don't think I can wait another moment," Emma said. "I love you, Regina Mills. I love you in an absolutely, positively crazy way that makes me feel like I've lost my mind, and I love that. I love the way you make me feel, and the way you hog the covers at night, and I absolutely _adore_ the way you wrinkle your nose when I say something stupid. I love the way you call me _Miss Swan_ in bed, and I love that when I wake up in the morning, your face is the first thing I see. I want to see your face every morning for the rest of my life, however short or long that may be. I probably could have died. Would have died, if it hadn't been for you. I know it was you who found me - who else could it have been?" Emma paused and took a deep breath. "Regina Mills, will you marry me?"

For a second, Regina couldn't even answer. Her emotions were going absolutely crazy. For one, she was surprised and shocked. She was scared and she was nervous, but she was also extremely excited. She wanted to start this next chapter of their life together. "Yes," She whispered. "Yes, yes, yes!" She said, her voice increasing with every 'yes'.

Emma grinned wider than Regina had ever seen it, and Regina smiled like an idiot as the small diamond ring was slipped on her finger. This time, it reached her eyes.

* * *

 **A/N: I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! There's going to be one more actual chapter and then an epilogue, and that'll be it for this story! I'll probably be posting a few one-shots and then I'll eventually be starting a new fic (I've been saying this for a while, and it IS in progress, I'm just having a bit of difficulty.) before then, so stay tuned for that! Please don't forget to leave reviews!**


	11. Chapter 11

Emma got out of the hospital two weeks later. She hadn't spoken a word to Snow since the day of the accident, and she didn't plan to, even though all she had thought about since she had gotten out were two things. One, getting married to Regina Mills. Two, Snow White.

The latter was what she was thinking about while her and Regina tried to talk about wedding plans.

"Emma, you need to talk to her." Regina said quietly.

"No." She said simply. She was laying down in the bed - she was on strict bed rest for two more weeks - and looking through a flower book.

"Emma-"

"No. She didn't come. I was in the hospital, about to die, and she didn't come for an entire day. I could have _died,_ but she didn't come. And even when she did, she didn't apologize. She told me she knew she was right. She doesn't support my decision to marry you. I will _not_ talk to her."

"I know that you're upset with her. I'm the expert on hating Snow White, if you don't recall. But she's your mother, no matter what she said to you. I can hardly blame her for not wanting you to be with me. I tried to kill her. I hunted her, and then I cursed her, and made sure you grew up without her." Regina reminded her.

"We've talked about this. You may have cast the curse, but you didn't put me through that wardrobe. They made that decsion. David knows that. It's not my fault she's too fucking oblivious to realize it." Emma said. She knew she was getting angry, and she knew that Regina would feel it as well, but she couldn't bring herself to care at that particular moment.

"Emma, talk to her. Call her. Please. Don't do it for her. Do it for me."

"Why do you care so much?" She asked.

"Because I know that if you don't, you will regret it. I know you. You're a Charming. You won't be able to help yourself."

Emma sighed. She didn't want to talk to Snow, but she knew that Regina was right. "On one condition."

"What?"

"I don't wear a dress to the wedding."

"As long as you show up, dear, you can wear whatever you please," Regina said, smiling at her. She brushed a few strands of blonde hair back and then kissed her on the forehead. "I'm calling your idiot mother before you can change your mind."

"Fine," Emma said, pouting slightly as she tossed the book in the middle of the pile on the bed. Regina moved her hand as if to magic the books away, but she shook her head. "No, I want her to see them."

Regina rolled her eyes, but nodded.

* * *

Thirty minutes later, Snow was sitting on the edge of the king sized bed that Emma and Regina shared. She couldn't take her eyes off of the wedding books. "So, you're really doing this?" Snow asked.

"Did you think I proposed as a joke?" Emma asked. She was trying to keep her anger in check, but it wasn't easy.

"I had hoped."

"You're unbelievable." Emma muttered.

"But I can learn to accept this, Emma. I just.. It's a lot to ask."

"It's not. I'm not asking anything. Either you accept me and Regina or you lose me. You can still see Henry, but I'll be out of your life. I'm not going to allow you to talk about her badly, and I'm not going to allow you to try and tell me what to do with my life when you weren't even there for the first twenty-eight years of it." She said. The look she gave Snow was daring her to try and blame Regina for what had happened.

"I know. I know, Emma."

"You know why I crashed, don't you? Because I was so upset that my own mother couldn't accept my relationship. Because she tried to tell me it was _wrong_ " She said. If she was going to do this, she was going to get it all out in the open now, rather than later.

"I know, Emma. I'm sorry."

"Sorry really doesn't help me."

"I know," Snow said quietly. She had the decency to look ashamed, at least. "I'm sorry, honey. I didn't.. I didn't mean to. I didn't... I love you, you know that, right?"

"Do you? I don't know much about the way a mother should love her daughter, but I know that this isn't it."

"I haven't been a good mother lately. I know. But this.. I never expected this. It seemed like a joke. I thought she was trying to mess with me.."

"Everything isn't about you." Emma said. Her anger was at an okay level, and she was glad that she was getting better at controlling her emotions, since she wasn't allowed to drink with the medication she was currently taking.

"I know."

"You keep saying that, but I don't think you do." She said, shaking her head. "Look, I don't forgive you. Not right now. You royally fucked up, and you need to realize that. But I'm willing to try if you are. By starting with having dinner with Regina and I. Just the three of us."

Snow nodded quickly. "I can do that."

"Good. Regina will call you with details whenever I'm able to get out of this bed." She said, sighing. "You should go."

Snow nodded again. "I love you, Emma."

"Yeah." Was all Emma could give in response. She watched Snow walk away and then leaned back into the pillows and closed her eyes. Everything took most of her energy. She was just glad it was a Saturday and Regina didn't need to do any work. Even though the brunette had been working from home, she spent a lot of time on the phone, and she found that she missed the brunette.

A few minutes later, she heard a light knock at the door. Henry was standing there holding a bowl of popcorn, and Regina holding a stack of movies. "Are you up for a little Harry Potter marathon?" She asked.

Immediately, Emma was filled with an overwhelming sense of happiness. She knew they were trying to cheer her up because of her visit with Snow, and she loved it. "When am I not?" She asked. She carefully scooted over so there would be room for Regina to lay next to her. The brunette came and curled up next to her, and then Henry came and put the first movie in, then came and laid down next to her. The popcorn was always in between the two of them as Regina refused to eat the buttery snack.

The three of them were already a family and had been for quite some time now, but she had never felt it more than she did in that moment. Putting her arm around her soon to be wife and stealing popcorn from her son, Emma Swan felt like she had finally found a family that would never leave her, and that was all she had ever truly wanted. "I love you," She whispered in Regina's ear. Henry was too absorbed in the movie to hear.

"I love you too, darling." Regina whispered back.

The only emotions either of them felt in that moment were good ones. Happiness. Satisfaction. Love.

* * *

 **A/N: So, I decided that this will be the last chapter of this story. I know it was short and didn't give you guys much, but eventually there will be a short sequel (one - two chapters) on the wedding and an epilogue, but I've decided not to include that in the actual story so I've got something to write later. If you enjoyed this, please read my newest fic, Operation Stallion. It's AU and nothing like this one, but I think you'll like it. I'm taking my time with it, and I think the quality with be much better than this one. Eventually, I'll be going through and editing this fic, taking out Author's Notes and things like that, but it's done for now! Thank you so much for reading and reviewing!**


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